Lost on Dark Waters: Strange Tides

[Glitchy]

Farli helps Lauren on board the ship and at first the little halfling stays with her. however, as she sees the wonders of the ship she starts to wander off, exploring with the others, a big smile on her face. She glances into the open crate and then at the satchel she is carrying, "I wonder why they took these ones out and left the rest," she wonders out loud before moving on.

She wanders up to the wheel house and her eyes widen at the sights inside. She rushes in, ignoring the dead body at first, and hurries over to the crystal compass orb thingy. Looking at the runes she tries to determine what they might mean or if she has seen anything like them before. She lays her hands on the orb and tries to move it.

Then she spots Hamic picking up the fancy hat and she smiles, "That's a neat hat. I always wanted a hat. Could I have it?" she asks, standing there is her prisoner robe and bare feet.

Finally she turns her attention to the oil lamp and it's occupant. Blinking she looks over to Lauren, "Oh my gosh. I think I am a giant here! Look how tiny she is!" looking bak to the lamp she taps the glass with one finger, "Hello? Little tiny person? Can you hear me? What's your name? Why are you in a lamp?" she tilts her head curiously, "Does it hurt having your head on fire? It's a very pretty flame. Can you change the color?" Farli was eager to learn about the little creature and hopeful she could give them some information abut where they were.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Knowledge (Arcana) to determine if she recognizes the runes on the orb (1d20+4)[20]
Spellcraft if it is needed (1d20+4)[18]
Knowledge (Arcana) to Identify the little creature (1d20+4)[24]
Knowledge (Nature) to Identify the little creature (1d20+4)[14]

[Luccan]

Hamic chuckles slightly and hands Farli the hat I'm not sure it'll fit you He looks at her bare feet and turns to Lauren, noticing she still seems shaken from her fall in the water and seems to realize the miserable condition they're all in. We should look for food,soon. And see if we can find some halfling sized boots.

[Glitchy]

Farli squeals and takes the hat, putting it on her head and not caring that is fits loosely and is floppy on her head. Grinning she looks at one of the cabin windows, trying to see her reflection in it. Then Hamic mentions food and she whirls around, "PANCAKES!!" she raises a fist above her head triumphantly.

[Machuchang]

Lauren gave Farli a small, but grateful, smile as the halfling put the blanket over her shoulders. It was just as she feared. She was the only one who saw those, those things in the water. And if Farli hadn't seen any magical auras in the water, then that would mean... Lauren shuddered at the thought. No, they had to be an illusion! There was no way such horrible things could actually be real, right? Right...?

The young woman followed the rest of the group in a haze, too lost in her thoughts to pay any attention to the world around her. She only tuned back in once her party discovered the crate full of vials. Did these men really kill each over something so small? She thought, as she examined the liquid again. There's just so much of this stuff. It feels wrong to fight over it. She shook her head. Even though she knew people didn't act like that, she still had trouble understanding why.

She continued to wander the ship, and her eyes lit up when she came across the sea chart on the wall. It was incredible, beautiful, to her eyes. She stared at it in awe and traced her fingers across the various waterways. There really was a whole other world out there. She wondered where she and her new friends fit into it.

Spoiler: Questions

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Is there any indication on the map where the boat might be? And if not, are there any checks Lauren can make to see if she can figure out where they are?

Also, how long has it been since Lauren fell in the water? Is she still Frightened?

It was then that she noticed the little... fairy? in the lamp on the table. She barely had time to comprehend what she was seeing before she heard Farli's voice. She turned, to see the halfling standing nearby, wearing an enormous, ornate hat. She couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well, I suppose you are a giant indeed, Farli-girl," She said, her voice hoarse from disuse. "But it looks like you've found yourself an even giant-er hat! It looks good,"

She heard Hamic's words and nodded. Even though he looked a little snobby, he wasn't bad at all. He had a good head on his shoulders, and he had actually been pretty nice so far. Actually, they all had been. Not one of her new acquaintances had hesitated to help her out of the water. When she was with them, she actually felt kind of, well, safe. Or at least, as safe as she could feel knowing there was some unexplainable horror lurking somewhere out there.

Despite her state, she could not contain her laughter at Farli's emphatic request for pancakes.

"Well, I did say I owed you pancakes," She said. "I will need the proper ingredients, though," She pulled off her sodden blanket and wrung it out over the side of the ship, before turning her attention to the rest of the group. "Did anyone happen to see a larder while they were walking around? 'cause, you know, nothing makes me hungrier than near-death experiences!"

[Centaurion]

Melia

Just before they all teamed up on the bridge, Melia softly touches Lauren's arm, giving her a sign to stay outside just for a second. When the others are in, she lowly says:

"Hey, I have no idea what you saw down there, or if it is real. I am also not quite sure if I'd like to find out. But as frightening all this here is, I have the feeling that we are - I don't quite know how to describe - you know - that we are somewhat connected. I see you, and I have no idea who you are, where you are from or literally anything about your past. And while it feels very wrong to be here, so far away from home, away from everything that makes up my life, something feels right. Not the place, definitely not the circumstances, but... us." She slightly smirks. "And that's also pretty much the only thing that keeps me from freaking out right now."

--

Again, she is slower to react to her environment than her peers. She takes the keys when the body is probed, and when they are all done, she kneels beside the man, and tries to roll the corpse into a position which makes it look as respectable as possible, slightly ordering the man's remaining clothing. After all, this body had belonged to an intelligent being yet, and she starts to dislike the missing respect that they -- including her -- payed to the dead. While the others address the fairy thing, she stays quiet for the moment.

[Zero_Point]

Farli's examination of the compass orb tells her only that it is indeed some type of way finder. The runes are foreign to her, but they resemble ones used for scrying, but altered in some way that she does not recognize. She also can not read them to determine what they might say. When she tries to move the orb she finds it is somehow magically held in place and will not move an inch. However, the brass fixture around it spins freely at her touch and she can move the compass arrow anywhere she likes. When it is released though, it returns to it's original position pointing to one of the many runes. The direction it points is off to the ships starboard, toward the darkness of the cavern.

Farli can tell that the tiny humanoid is not a natural creature. Though she has no idea exactly what it is, there are enough defining characteristics for her to determine it is definitely some sort of fey. Judging solely on its appearance and size, she can only assume it is some type of pixie. The little fey gazes out at Farli when she speaks, and she tilts her flaming head curiously. It is unclear at first if the creature can hear or understand Farli's words, but she slowly stands in her glass prison and offers a little curtsy in her filthy rag. Her mouth moves as if she is speaking, but the only sound the group can hear is a very soft crackling, like a pine cone on a fire.

Looking at the chart on the wall there are numerous markings that seem to label ports on nearly all of the islands, and many of the caverns and tunnels are named as well. There are blue, arrow shaped pins in the chart around several of the largest islands, as well as in several of the tunnels that lead to these islands, and by all appearances they seem to be marking pathways, or possibly patrol routes of ships. There is a single red pin, but it is located just outside the boarder of the chart. Lauren can surmise that this pin most likely represents the ship the group is standing on, and it's placement might suggest that they are not in charted waters. (It has been about five minutes since Lauren fell in the water, she is still affected by the frightened condition)

[Glitchy]

Farli points to the compass device, "I think that's a compass. I can't read the runes, but I think they have something to do with seeing far away. Since it always points at one, I think maybe the compass can see whatever that rune represents. So, maybe it's a town or something, and that's how you find your way to it," Farli shrugs, not nearly as interested in the device as she is in the tiny creature.

Blinking at the little fey, Farli frowns, "She's a pixie. But I think her voice is broken. That's sad," the little halfling looks sad for a moment then very suddenly she perks up and thrusts her triumphant fist in the air, "I can fix it!," she shouts and then taps her chin, rolling her eyes up as she thinks really hard, trying to remember the spell she wanted. Grinning, she speaks a few words and tugs on her ears in a rather comical fashion. When she finishes she turns back tot he pixie with a big smile, "Okay. Try again. I have magic ears now. What's your name and why are you in that lamp?" she tilts an ear to the lamp to better hear the little pixie thing.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Casts Comprehend Languages

[Luccan]

Hamic notices Melia moving the body and nods to her We can give them a proper burial after we make sure the boat is secure. He waits to see if Farli can get through to the pixie

[Machuchang]

Lauren, though still shaken up, couldn't help but smile at Melia's words.

"You're awfully kind, Melia," Lauren said. "And as silly as it sounds, it means a lot to hear that. It's nice to know that someone else feels the same way you do, you know?" She laughed wryly. "Of course, you seem to be handling yourself a lot better than I am,"

Her gaze wandered across the deck, and she found herself half-watching Farli and half-staring off into nothingness. She grinned, hoping that her smile looked more convincing than it felt.

"Huh. Is there anything our little friend can't do?" She said, to no one in particular. "I wish I could do magic. Never quite got the hang of it," She found her thoughts drifting back to Orlan, to his tower and her failed magic lessons within. To cooking in the kitchen, and petting Burglar by the fire, and laughing, and... and...

She felt her eyes begin to mist and blinked it away. Gods, how embarrassing. She just couldn't keep herself together. There was no use dwelling on her thoughts now, though. That would only make things worse. Between Orlan and her visions, there was nothing of any use in her mind right now. Hell, she was lucky she hadn't had the time to even think about her parents yet. There'd be no coming back from that.

Lauren forced herself back into the present, directing all of her focus towards Farli and the fey creature. For now, it would be better to live in the present.

[Zero_Point]

The pixie creature looks a bit confused at Farli as she casts her spell. She then speaks again, but Farli can still only hear the crackling noise. Any attempt to remove the glass chimney from the lamp fails, no matter how hard the halfling girl pulls or even if she tries to break it. The opening at the top is also too narrow for her to fit even her small hand down so there is no way to make contact with the creature.

[Centaurion]

Melia

Lauren, though still shaken up, couldn't help but smile at Melia's words.
"You're awfully kind, Melia," Lauren said. "And as silly as it sounds, it means a lot to hear that. It's nice to know that someone else feels the same way you do, you know?" She laughed wryly. "Of course, you seem to be handling yourself a lot better than I am,"

"Then again, I did not fall into the water yet." She says lowly and smiling, indicating that she can really empathize with Lauren, basically meaning "If I fell into the water, and have seen something bad down there, I would have freaked too."

We can give them a proper burial after we make sure the boat is secure.

Melia nods and gets up from her knees. Of course, the corpse was still... a corpse, but this way, it did not look as bad as before.

Seeing that their efforts on the bridge are not met with too much success, she suggests:

"I'd suggest we investigate the locked cabin. We need to find shelter, and the room could just serve as that. Maybe we also find some dry clothes for Lauren, and preferably also some clues where we are."

If no one objects, she goes to the cabin, hopefully followed by others. She has the ring of keys with her.

[Luccan]

Agreed. We should finish searching the ship. We could bring the lamp with us. The creature provides light and we might find a way to release her below deck. He follows Melia to the cabin.

[Glitchy]

Farli has gone into a magnificent sulk at this point with her failure to communicate with the pixie creature. She stands beside the table tapping at the glass lamp in a forlorn manner until Melia suggest they search the ship's cabin and Hamic suggests they take the lamp with them for light, and because they might find a purpose for it below decks. The little halfling grabs the lamp and holds it up, "I got her! and she follows the others out to investigate the cabin.

[Machuchang]

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Lauren said. She quickly folded her sodden blanket and stuffed it in her pack, before she followed the rest of the group.

[Zero_Point]

One of the keys on the ring the group found does indeed unlock the cabin door. Pushing the door open reveals a room larger than the wheel house, at least twice the size, and made to serve more as a crew quarters. The port and starboard walls are dominated by six small bunks, three on each side, and a table is bolted to the middle of the floor. The top of the table is littered with playing cards, dice, empty glasses, and a half full bottle of what smells like ale or grog. The stern wall of the cabin is set with six narrow metal lockers, only three of which seem to have been in use, containing spare clothes and boots, another seventeen of the jade core coins. Beside the lockers on one side is a narrow door which unlocks with one of the keys on the ring, that leads to what must have been the captains quarters, a small, comfortable room with a single bed, sea chest and wooden wardrobe filled with more clothes and boots. There is a small desk contained blank sheets of parchment, a quill pen and ink, and a large, leather bound book.

Opposite the door to the captains cabin, on the other side of the lockers, is another narrow door that can be unlocked with one of the keys, which reveals a set of stairs leading down below the deck.

[Luccan]

As they enter the crew quarters, Hamic glances at the beds, but begins searching the chests when he sees them At least there aren't more bodies If it seems like any of the boots would fit Farli, he gives them too her, and he helps Lauren find dry clothes as well, but otherwise leaves things in their place. When they enter the captain's quarters, he spots the book and immediately picks it up and begins turning through it. Hamic looks through the book, trying to find some clue about where they are and what might have happened to the crew.

[Zero_Point]

Opening the book reveals it to be a journal or log of the crew and ship, apparently kept by the captain. Most of the entries are dull and typical of what one might expect from a bored sailor on a cargo ship, but as they go on, they become more and more erratic. One entry that seems to be from roughly a week ago reads:

Damn it. I knew it was a bad idea to take on this job. Damn you Giles! I'm all for running weapons and supplies to the out ports, but Amber? In this quantity? Don't think I've ever seen so much of the bloody stuff in one place. I wonder where Giles got it. I've seen Nate eyeing the crates since we took them on. No doubt he'll try to get his hands on some, the damn addict. I'll have to keep a close watch on him.

In the mean time, these uncharted caverns give me the creeps. Their too dark, and I feel like something is watching us. The boys are getting jumpy the longer we're off map, but it's the only way to be sure we don't run across them damn Conclave patrols or worse one of them Illithiir ships. If either of them got wind of what we're doing we'd be in for a short drop and sudden stop.

I'll be turning us back toward the charted tunnels in five days time. Should put us well outside the patrol routes and just three days hard burn for Gambit's Wharf. Hope Jassen can keep us going. Hard to get any rest out here in the dark, and we need his magic at full strength if we're going to make good time. We'll unload, get paid, and find a safer cargo to take back to Elysium Spire.

Can't wait to see Emmaryn again.

The following entries read much the same until the finale entry which is written in a shaking script, as if the writer could not hold his quill steady:

So dark...I can see them...hear them...Grinning...Weeping...Devouring...Dreaming.. .all forgotten...forgotten...forgotten...

The script trails off as if the writer lost interest or became distracted.

[Centaurion]

Melia

Melia looks at the discovered clothes. "Looks like we're in luck." She says to Lauren, pointing to the clothes. Seeing Hamic scrolling through the book, she asks: "Anything useful in there?"

[Luccan]

It would seem our hosts were smugglers. At least with this cargo. Whatever is in those vials is apparently addictive and they were avoiding patrols. I believe the captain has left a lover of some sort behind as well... And there's some good and bad news. He turns to Lauren and turns back to where the captain first gets jumpy, re-reading a few passages allowed The captain seems to have had a bad feeling about the area and his crew was unhappy being so far off the map. His last note indicates he was seeing things, though I can't say whether they were real or not. He turns, looking at each of his companions, his expression dark I suspect we'll want to gather what information we can about the boat and leave quickly. Good Spirits don't seem to dwell here. I believe we may be in the captain's window to avoid unwanted patrols.

[Machuchang]

Lauren wandered through the crew's quarters, though she was still a bit too shaken up to pay much attention to her surroundings. She absent-mindedly picked up a deck of cards and started shuffling it with practiced hands. She had always loved games, and Orlan had taught her quite a few good ones over her time at the tower. Dice were fun too, but Burglar liked to knock them around too much.

She looked up when she heard Melia's words, barely realizing that she had just dealt two hands on the table.

"Ooh, let's take a look," She said, as she started rooting through the lockers. Hopefully there would something that could at least fit her. She'd always had more of a boyish figure, so wearing men's clothes was nothong new. But she was so short and skinny, it was hard to find clothes that fit and still looked good. She would rather not look like a child playing dress-up in her father's clothes. She froze when Hamic began to relay the sailor's paranoid ramblings, and shuddered.

"Well, I guess that proves I'm not the only crazy one here," She said, half-joking, but half-relieved as well. Finding the right outfit didn't feel fun anymore. She grabbed a handful of clothes and turned back to the party.

"So, I realize I've run into a bit of a conundrum," She said. "I would very much like to change my clothes, but I'm also incredibly afraid to be alone," She turned to the rest of the group, clearly flushed with embarassment. "What should I do?

[Centaurion]

Melia

Melia looks at Lauren, and for a short moment there is confusion in her eyes about the elf's conundrum. Then, she finally appears to understand the problem -- a problem she remember from the beginning of her career, but she soon outgrew. In the guard, it was normal to undress in front of her colleagues, regardless of their gender or rank. She can't but friendly chuckle.

"Don't worry, we're not leaving. I'd suggest we all just turn around and you get yourself into a set of dry clothes so you don't cough out your lungs tomorrow. Guess that's as much privacy as you're going to get without closing a door after you. And while you're doing it, we might as well discuss what we're doing next." She smiles an encouraging smile, and will turn around if Lauren agrees and would like to change clothes now.

Spoiler: For later use

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--- Assuming she does so:

"So, we're on a smuggler's ship, and off charted terrain. I think there's two things. Either we try to use the ship to get back into charted terrain as soon as possible, or we first try to find out whether this cavern holds any more clues that tell us where exactly we are. As I have no idea on how to drive this vessel, I'd say we do the second, and use the ship more as a safehouse."

[Glitchy]

Farli enters the cabin with the others and puts the lamp with the pixie down on the table so she can wander freely and look at everything. She pokes through the lockers a little and checks the boots and clothes for anything that might fit a halfling, since she was still only wearing her ragged prison robe with bare feet. If she doesn't find anything that will specifically fit her, she will instead grab an over-sized shirt and pirate coat.

Examining them, she wanders into the captains cabin and grins at the sight of ink and paper. She had always loved to write but parchment and ink were expensive back in her home world and she had never been able to afford them. Seeing the ink well, pen and parchment on the desk she rushes over to examine them, "Does anyone mind if I take these? I've always liked writing," then, hearing that there is a journal she gets excited, "Oh! Maybe I can keep a journal of our travels here! It will help us keep track of everything we find!" she happily collects the blank parchment, ink well and pen for later use. If they remained on the boat she could maybe even use the captain's desk to do her writing.

All but bouncing now she returns to the cabin as Lauren picks out clothes and states her problem. Farli looks a little confused for a moment then she seems to get it and turns on Hamic, "You! Out, out, out, out! It's girl time!" she does her best to push the much larger man either out on deck or into the captains cabin where she can close the door to block his view, "Girls only! No peeking! Oh! Maybe we can have a slumber party! We can gossip about guys! Although there's only Hamic. Do you like him? I wish he was shorter. Or maybe I like him tall. I haven't decided yet. Wait, does one of us have to sleep with him? I don't think I want to. Or maybe I do," the little halfling seems flustered as she pulls off her prisoners robe and pulls on the over-sized shirt and coat she found. Neither garment fits her, and the shirt is more like a short dress. But once she secures it with her rope belt it is passable at least and warmer than her old prisoner outfit.

Feeling the manacle and chain rattle on her wrist she frowns and holds it up, "Does anyone know how to get this off? I don't want to wear it forever. It's ugly," she shakes her wrist for emphasis.

[Centaurion]

Melia

Now, she is completely confused. Slumber party? Girls time? This all sounds kind of misplaced for her. Why would Hamic getting out matter more than herself getting out? For a moment, she stands there somewhat puzzled, unsure what to do.

[Luccan]

At the mention of Lauren needing to change, Hamic let's out an unexpected, odd-sounding cough and rises to leave. His expression rapidly flashes to confusion at Farli's insistence on his exit and comments about him, but he quickly adopts a more cordial and noble bearing I'll just go check the cabin again, shall I? With that, he exits back to the cabin, waiting to be called back in

[Machuchang]

Lauren gave a brief sigh when Hamic left the room. She certainly felt a lot more comfortable without there being a man in the room, but she was also worried about him being left alone, even if he was still on the ship. Better to get changed quickly then, so the party wouldn't remain separate for too long. She raised an eyebrow at Farli's comments about Hamic, but decided it was better to simply let that part of the conversation be.

"A slumber party, huh?" She said as she rooted through the pile of clothes. It was strange, but this was the first time she had spent with other girls, in, well, forever. It was weird, but it wasn't bad. "I'm not opposed to the idea, but now is probably not the right time," She said, before turning her attention to Melia. "That sounds like a good plan. It's probably wise for us to get an understanding of our surroundings, and I don't want to be stuck in this cave for any longer than necessary," She turned back to Farli. "But once that's all taken care of, we'll have ourselves a nice slumber party with pancakes and all that good stuff,"

She found some clothes close to her size and quickly threw them on.

"Alright, Hamic! It's safe to come out now,"

[Centaurion]

Melia

Melia actually decided to get out together with Hamic, just as if she had read Lauren's thoughts. But, it was over quick anyway. When all are rejoined:

"So, we're on a smuggler's ship, and off charted terrain. I think there's two things. Either we try to use the ship to get back into charted terrain as soon as possible, or we first try to find out whether this cavern holds any more clues that tell us where exactly we are. As I have no idea on how to drive this vessel, I'd say we do the second, and use the ship more as a safehouse."

[Luccan]

Hamic reenters after Lauren calls him back in and sits on one of the bunks, staring at the door leading downWe should see what's down those stairs first. Once we have the ship searched, we can try exploring the cave.

[Glitchy]

Farli looks down the stairs to the below decks area and gives a little shrug, "Well, what are we waiting for?" she grabs the pixie lamp for light and happily marches down the stairs to see what other mysteries this strange ship might hold. Her new over sized pirate coat dragging on the stairs behind her.

[Zero_Point]

In the hold of the ship the group finds a strange device that dominates the space near the stern. It is an impressive amalgamation of iron, brass and bronze, with dozens of green crystal lenses surrounding a smooth sphere of blue-green marble etched with runes. Something resembling a burner and boiler are set near the center of the contraption. However, rather than a place to put fuel in the burner, there is a small, roughly oval opening with an opening at the top. There is a space directly in front of the marble sphere that is clearly intended for a person to stand in.

[Machuchang]

Lauren stared at the contraption in awe. Things certainly kept getting stranger around here, didn't they? She approached the contraption cautiously and ran her fingers across the smooth metal, trying to get a feel for the device. She examined the opening in the device curiously, and wondered what sort of things would go inside.

Spoiler: Skill Checks

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Knowledge (Arcana): (1d20+1)[9]