Kerluddein (IC)

[MikelaC]

Lysindra turns to the group.

"Ok, I know we've just met and dont really have any reason to trust one another, but those people from the ship are heading our way. I dont know about you, but I've found it very hard to get in with any sort of adventuring group, everyone wants experience, and thats something I'm short on. If they are looking, we're a team, okay? Maybe as a group, we would stand a better chance of getting hooked up with something valuable? We can work out all the details later, but getting started is the key."

Lysindra looks hopefully at the people (members?) she has just met.

"If you want, I can handle most of the negotiations, I'm usually pretty good at dealing with people."

[monty]

Sarah decides that being in a group will probably be to her advantage. That's fine with me. I grew up dealing with people, so I could probably manage on my own, but you seem more...experienced. I think it'll be better for all of us in the long run if we stay together, anyway.

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia shrugs, and replies.

"I've never had much need to negotiate; I find I'm not particularly good at it. You expect to manage a good wage? Go for it. Do be careful not to overpromise, though... I do not want to be stuck facing the captain's wrath when more than a day's flight from a place to land."

[MikelaC]

Lysindra looks to the rest of the group for confirmation. Hearing nothing, she assumes that she is free to attempt to make a deal. She turns to where the officers of the ship are coming from, taking a moment to settle her hair and adjust her clothes, to make as good an impression as possible. She knows that her appearance is her best way to start off any negotiations, and is ready to use all the wiles at her disposal.

[rrkkskrrk]

"You there!"
The officer calls out before he is even fully visible, though he stands nearly a head above most of the crowd, so the distinction is not particularly important. He elbows aside one last porter and comes face to face with the group, heading straight for Larin and Sarah and clapping both of them on the shoulders, hard. The captain

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(Note: only Sylvia is actually aware of the rank, but this is easier.)

slouches up to them momentarily later and raises an eyebrow at Lysindra.
"It was you two that pulled the young lady from the brine, wasn't it? Damn fine work, fine work." He guides both of them away from where they are standing, and starts to explain the terms of their contracts to them without even asking whether they're taking it. This prompts yet another raised eyebrow from the captain, this time at Sylvia. When she actually speaks, it's an understated mutter. "You lot are together?"

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(For narrative purposes, I'm going to assume the affirmative.)

"Eh. Pity. Only four cots in that cabin."
She strolls off in the wake of the other officer.

[rrkkskrrk]

Sylvia

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You quickly discern the obvious, though the captain in particular is a hard woman to figure out. Both of them have obviously been impressed by Larin's ropework and your own ability to fly, and seem to be in need of additional crew after their last trip.
You don't find any hint of the foul play you were expecting, though you do think the captain is acting a little shady, and perhaps you weren't looking hard enough.

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia, unable to keep pace with most humanoids on foot, shouts ahead to the captain.

"Captain, my legs don't work so good; I'll fetch my service animal and things, and catch up with you at the gangplank. Sound fair?"

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Actually, it was them wanting us to follow that was the non-obvious bit I was after. They practically drag two away, and then suddenly turn around and leave, with one of them saying that it's a pity there's only so much room in the cabin. The rest I wasn't too concerned about. The follow-up gave enough context, though.

[MikelaC]

Lysindra attempts to regain control of the situation.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on. First of all yes, we are together, a group.

Pointing at each person in turn...

"Sylvia, Larin, Sarah, Michael and myself, Lysindra. And yes, we would be interested in joining your crew, but what are terms we are being offered. And, I assume, this includes all of us?"

[Kris Strife]

Larin listens to the conversation as he speaks to the librarian. "Miss, I need you to close your eyes tightly. The uh... spell produces a bright light and I don't want you blinded." He'd wait for her to close her eyes before emiting a brief burst of flame that only covers her, brushing salt crystals off her shoulders. "There you go... A bit salty, but dry and warm I'm sure."

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Not rolling damage since she's protected

He turns to face the conversation, throwing up a salute.

[Jack_Simth]

After waiting enough time for the captain to either respond, or make it clear that the captain is choosing not to, Sylvia heads back to Patches to pick him up, put away her silk rope, retrieve her other weapon, and make the laborious way through the crowds over to the gangplank to await the captain.

[Jack_Simth]

You hear the rumble of thunder, and watch a storm come swiftly in from the sea. You know that, in moments, it will be raining, and the docks will be a treacherous place due to the number of people walking around on the slippery planks. Everyone else recognizes it too, and the crowd starts to thin as everyone who currently has a job elsewhere, or isn't yet pressed for finding paying work, heads home to get out of the dangerous weather.

The three ship's officers glance at the approaching storm, and nod to each other. The giant of a man with horns under his hat bellows above the crowd in the wake of the thunder.

"This is better discussed aboard, methinks. Meet me on deck in an hour, along with anyone else you think would be sufficiently useful to be worth their share, and we'll discuss your wage structure. We do have a few other little errands today, so I won't see you for at least that time. You've got that hour to gather your things."

With that, the three ship's officers turn, and head into the warehouse district, their precise purposes unknown.

[MikelaC]

Lysindra looks to the group.

"So, we are in this together? I think its a great chance to get a start in the world, and even see some far off stuff. It will only take a few minutes for me to gather my stuff, and I'll see you back on board?

Lysindra waits to see if the others agree, and then will head back to her room, gather what few possessions she has, and make her way back to the ship. She heads up on deck, smiling at any of the ships personnel that she meets

The officer with the horns, I didnt catch his name, he said that I should meet him back here in an hour if I and my companions wanted to join the crew. Well, we, or at least I, do.

[rrkkskrrk]

Lysindra
Very few of the crew can hear normal talking above the continuing storm, but the crewman closest to you, an apelike figure with flaps of skin fluttering in the wind between his limbs, raises a hand to his head and yells at you.
"Captain says you should meet her in the stateroom. Wait for her, she'll be in her cabin at the moment."
He points one long limb at the platform at the back of the ship, then disappears up the rigging.

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia clings to patches, relying on his sure-footedness to get travel safely through the stormy weather. She makes certain to put her rope back in the saddlebags, retrieve her weapon, and pull out her spare spell components pouch. In the thinning crowds, she makes good time, and as an afterthought, purchases a fishing net near the docks, so that she'll have a reasonably ready supply of meat ... after all, it's always useful if your coworkers consider you to have everyday use, irrespective of whether or not the boss does. That, and Patches needs some meat every now and again.

Sylvia then packs her bags, and makes her way over to the ship to board and work out any final details.

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Note: Plan on taking 10 on Survival checks for "getting along in the wilderness" if feasible and it tastes better than the galley food. Assuming it is, under normal circumstances, that covers herself and five others (check result of 20 ...22 for herself and six others, if the net provides a +2 Circumstance bonus considering they'll be at sea). Her plan of distribution of fish is as follows:
She cares for herself if needed (although she's got no particular qualms about the ship's galley) and Patches first and foremost. Assuming Sylvia's preparation is better than the galley's (may or may not be, but she's got a +10 Survival modifier, so...) the rest of the fresh fish goes to:
1 serving for whoever seems most in need of it.
1 serving for whoever has been most mean to her, that hasn't gotten a dinner from her within the last week.
The rest to whoever has been the nicest to her.

Notes:
If what she can catch isn't better than the ship's galley, abandon plan (but still pick up the net, regardless, as a backup in case of getting stranded without wind, if the ship's galley runs out, or what-have-you).
If such Survival checks aren't practical (whether due to being too busy on ship, the ship traveling too quickly, or what have you), abandon plan (but still pick up the net)

[MikelaC]

Lysindra makes her way quickly to the stateroom, both to be ready for the captain, and to get out of the storm. Once inside, she takes as long as she needs to make herself presentable, and then finds a chair to sit in to await the captains arrival.

[rrkkskrrk]

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I'm going to make the assumption that everyone makes their way to the Lady's Wings at some point or other. Feel free to roleplay anything out that would have to happen before this point, but include your latest responses as well.

One by one, the seats at the large table that dominates the stateroom fill up with new recruits and the rest of the existing ship's officers. You've seen two of them - the horned giant and the unassuming human in the black coat - already, but there are at least two that you haven't, a dark-skinned hobgoblin wearing much the same garb as the others and a skinny, pale-skinned woman with a disconcerting stare and open-fronted robes in place of an officer's coat. Most of the crew have retreated below decks by now, their work done, but a few seem to have gained permission to enter the stateroom as well, most notably the ape-like crewsperson that spoke to Lysindra earlier and an ordinary-looking human with a hankerchief covering the tattoos on his shaved head. A strangely-dressed blue goblin joins them eventually, along with a tanned, sleek-looking female halfling covered in what look like powder burns. None of them approach the table even when there are seats available, choosing instead to arrange themselves against the near wall and talk amongst themselves. A few others, exclusively human, have joined you at the table over time, and they are the only people other than yourselves not to stand up or stand to attention when the captain finally stumbles into the room from her cabin and takes the seat at the head of the table. It doesn't take much intelligence to guess that they, like you, are new to the ship and its way of thinking.
When everyone else has taken the captain's lead and sat back down, the man in black stands up and coughs loudly for silence.
"Ahem. My name is Hagstone, and I've been asked by Captain Hadley to fill you in on matters concerning our course. If any of you do not wish to sail with us, this would be the time to leave. Her Majesty Queen Mab has declared certain items within our hold on the last voyage a state secret, meaning that only the contracted crew of this vessel may be legally informed of them. Do we have an accord?"
There is a muttering of agreement from the other recruits.

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia takes her queue from the others - when they stand at attention, so does she; when they sit down, so does she. It doesn't hurt that she recognizes a few of the ship's officers by sight from before...

"Sir, I am perfectly content to sail with you; provisionally, we do have an accord. However, in any business dealings, the obligations of all parties need to be made clear before full agreement can be reached. If the pay is worth the labor, we will have a deal, but at this point words have been said of neither the labor sailing will entail, nor the wages involved."

[Kris Strife]

Larin isn't quite certain of things, the sudden employment strikes him as odd, but decides to go along with it. He would head towards the market to pick up a waterproofed scroll case, and a short spear in case of enemy boarding, then head back to the inn where he was staying. He'd place his personal notes in the case before packing them up and taking the scrolls he's borrowed to return them. He'd head back to the docks and go up the gang plank looking for someone to tell him where he's supposed to go.

[MikelaC]

Lysindra (still in her human form) stands at attention when the officers enter, and seats herself when the others do, making sure that she is the first of the party to sit, indicating her position as the defacto leader of the party. She nods her head as Sylvia asks her questions, and then adds as well

Also important is the attitude and possible prejudices of the crew. While I am sure you and your more senior officers have seen all manner of magic and sorcerous powers, many people have not and many are frightened by them. Several of our group are capable of doing such things, and we wouldnt want to have a mutiny over it.

The smile never leaves Lysindra's lips, as she makes eye contact with each and every officer as she speaks, coming back finally to the captain.

[monty]

Content to let Lysindra handle the negotiations, Sarah takes a seat and waits to see if her input is needed.

[Jack_Simth]

While Lysindra negotiates, Sylvia takes some time to look around the stateroom - making sure to note the walls, any decorations, the size and materials of the table and chairs, check for the number and locations of all possible exits (including windows). She also takes a moment to see if she can hear any unusual going-ons in the ship.

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Spot: (1d20+10)[14]
Listen: (1d20+10)[23]

Edit: Spot's not so grand, but most of the stuff she's after should be pretty blatant anyway. A Listen score of 23 would be sufficient to understand a normal conversation through a door at 80 feet (0 base to hear, +10 to understand, +5 for a door, +1 per 10 feet of distance).

[rrkkskrrk]

Lysindra
Hagstone frowns, puzzled at the question.
"You are being hired as an arcanist aboard a spice ship, Miss Lysindra, and you have already seen blatant use of arcane magics by this crew. Is there any confusion on the matter?"

Sylvia

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You hear little outside of the stateroom over the storm; most of the crew are most likely simply trying to wait it out. Several of the crewmembers watching the proceedings snort loudly at Lysindra's question.
Like the officers, the stateroom is battered but of good quality; most of the furniture and the walls are bare, dark wood, with a few ornamented with mahoganies and dark oaks. Metal is rare, other than the swords hanging (hung ready for use, not mounted) on the wall and the handles of the chests of drawers. There are three doors out: two lead into rooms to the side, one of which is the captain's quarters, and the other is the wide windowed door that you came through from the main deck. Ample opportunity would be given to leave through the windows if you wanted to, since a bay window comprises most of the rear wall.

Once Hagstone is finished, he turns to you.
"Ah, payment, of course. Five shillings plus shares for crew, ten plus double for officers under commission and hireling casters. Not as much as you'd gain on land, I'd say, but the Lady's Wings has never failed to turn a tidy profit. You'll be paid by port, but we won't allow settlers on this run."

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Quick note: a Kerluddein shilling is 5 cp. Most actual currencies are going to be made of silver or impure silver. If anyone doesn't want to deal with the bewildering array of currencies I'm going to throw out, just put the game value in brackets and assume your character knew the amount in question.
I assume it's obvious what he means by shares. No, not the stock market.

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia nods, as she considers that the statement to Lysindra about her being an Arcanist suggests that the ship's officers did some research, considering Sylvia has been near Lysindra for longer than the ship has been in port, and that she hasn't cast any spells in that time. Sylvia considers herself an obvious case - she's got the components pouch, and she's got the holly and mistletoe, and she's got Patches. Lysindra, though... anyone could carry a pouch, but no only was she called a spellcaster, but specifically an Arcanist. Still, there's nothing sinister about researching employees, so she merely files away the information for later.

[MikelaC]

In that case, I think that your terms are acceptable to us, at least they are to me. Obviously, we would not be paid as officers as we havent proven ourselves, but most of us are casters, either divine or arcane in my own case for sure, and would be paid as such.

[rrkkskrrk]

"Very well. If there are no other objections...?"
Hagstone turns out to be very poor at making extended speeches: his explanation of the further terms of your contract is peppered with "um"s and tangents onto unrelated aspects of shipboard custom and details of the ship's history and capacities. While there are a few points of interest - according to shipboard tradition and Kerluddein law, all crewsmembers below the rank of midshipman are legally considered male no matter their actual gender, for example - the majority of the information he gives you is completely unrelated to what he's trying to explain to you.
The route, when he gets around to it, is fairly simple - the ship will be putting in at the city-state of Piter, travelling upriver from there and, via a canal, back down another river to the Blue Coast and Para Coast, the main sources of both spices and unusual spell components. Most of these places will also be deposits for the components that reach Kerluddein from the north, along with other luxury items and a diplomatic letter to Piter from Queen Mab. The ship will then put into some ports on the Blue Coast a second time before returning to Kerluddein as quickly as possible via Piter.
Over the course of this explanation, Hagstone makes increasingly frequent references to the cargo of their last voyage, yet never actually specifies what it is until after he actually dismisses you, at which point the captain coughs loudly and mutters something inaudible to him. Hagstone clears his throat, noticably embarrased.
"Ah. Yes. The cargo. Eye Tyrant. Dead. Mummified, in fact. We'll be collecting its twin from the Blue Coast during our return."

[monty]

Calypso nods in agreement. This is acceptable to me, as well.

Edit: That should've gone in before your last post.

[monty]

I expect that the one we are collecting is also dead? I know little about beholders, but if the rumors I've heard are true, we probably don't want to tackle it ourselves.

[rrkkskrrk]

The other officer you saw earlier replies for Hagstone. "Dead as a doornail, Bliss. It's getting it to the ship that'll be the problem."

[Jack_Simth]

Sylvia considers the words, and pieces together an implication.

"You mention you know it's going to be difficult getting it back to the ship - do you happen to know the nature of the obstacles involved, perchance?"

[rrkkskrrk]

The captain is the next to answer, in her usual mutter.
"Twenty leagues of jungle. Little else."