Golden Age of Sail IC

[TheBarbecueChip]

Port-au-Prince, the central hub in the wheel that is the Caribbean, a city where the buzz of the populace never quiets down, but merely changes tone. Walking through the streets a traveler is subjected to assaults upon all of their senses. The thick tropical air, heavy with the sea makes a body sticky with sweat in moments regardless of dress. It carries with it the smell of sea brine, often laced with the heady spices of fresh cooked native foods or the perfumes of courtesans and, in certain districts, other considerably less pleasant aromas.

The people and styles of clothing on display are no less varied than the smells of the city. Dutch, English, and French gentlemen and their wives, or possibly their mistresses, pass from stately carriages into opulent row houses in flashes of fine silks of many colors. Merchants and traders, often much more sensibly dressed, given the climate, hawk their wares all over the city, and any would be trade baron with the coin has teams of criers set up on every street corner. These polyglots call out eagerly in a dozen tongues directing customers to the best, most honest houses of business in all of the Caribbean.

Native and foreign day laborers toil side by side at the docks unloading cargos of manufactured goods from far away Europe and refilling those holds with tonnes of spice, sugar, silver, and all the other bounty of the Caribbean. When the sun sinks low in the sky and turns the bay of Port-au-Prince in to a sheet of beaten gold these same workers retreat to their seaside bars and taverns to drink, gamble, and brawl with each other and the sailors who are staying in port.

Those looking for work and a life at sea have to search no further than such places, for there are always tables set aside for captains seeking to add to their rosters new hands. Each captain and often their officers watch carefully for the skills they need and their contracts are as varied as the people of the city. Some sail under national colors and wage undeclared wars against their country's foemen and merchants. Others are commissioned to explore the region, mapping out trade lanes and marking suitable locations for resupply or demarcating zones of poor wind and dangerous seas.

It is just such a table, laden with food and drink, that has drawn the eyes of our would-be sailors. A wealthy captain, dressed in fine yet practical clothes, sips from a rune carved goblet. A chilly mist falls from the gold capped rim, clearly his trade has made him a wealthy man, yet the rum has not dulled his senses. Sharp blue eyes peer out from heavy black brows and his words, spoken in quick whispers to his officers and shrewd questions to his applicants, are all clear, if distinctly accented. This man sounds Spanish, yet with years of Caribbean familiarity.

His officers, while less wealthy perhaps, seem no less seasoned than he. One is large, heavily muscled with cropped blonde hair and stands in almost comical contrast to the slender woman across from him with twisted black braids. It would seem that the unanimous assent of all three is required to sign on aboard the Vensinda. Their contract offers day rates and a sum upon return to port. Their aim is to scout the Lesser Antilles.

The Vensinda is a light and fast vessel perfect for such a job. She can navigate the reefs and shallows more easily than the heavy merchant or war ships that ply the lanes and still winds hold less fear for her and her crew. However, given the size of her holds, it is likely that her captain's contract is the only source of wealth the voyage is likely to realize, unless the expedition is remarkably lucky. Thus the need for a carefully picked crew.

Spoiler: Ubirajara

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Ubirajara stands before the table, looking up over its edge, and the captain addresses him in Spanish translating his answers to Dutch for his blonde officer. "Aye, we have need of a good cook," the captain says raising his goblet to his lips.

The woman looks at Ubirajara, eyes sparkling, "Aye, I love native... food."

"Stem voor," the Dutchman says with a hard look at his counterpart.

Spoiler: Rattlebone

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The blonde man calls out to Rattlebone in English, "You! I have heard of you. We could use your talents." The captain nods to his man and the woman eyes Rattlebone closely. She addresses the big man in Dutch and he answers strongly in the affirmative. She shrugs and looks back at Rattlebone with a sly smile and a nod.

Spoiler: Sophie

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The captain smiles at Sophie and addresses her in perfect French. He even seems to be able to hold something of a conversation on the topics of science and magic, having no fear or qualms about the latter. The Dutchman seems to take some convincing but the woman takes to Sophie quite quickly.

Spoiler: Tall Tale

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The debate goes around the table several time in a language Ota doesn't understand, but the big man talks very clearly with his hands. He seems to be arguing in favor of the small sailor. Gradually the other two come around and give their approval. The Dutchman turns to Ota with a broad grin and a wink, gesturing for him to mark the contract.

Spoiler: Eldon

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Eldon arrives just as the three sailors are preparing to leave. The captain has already rolled up the contract and his female companion has gone to pay for their meal and drinks. The two men seem almost ready to dismiss their late applicant, but after a moment listening to him plead his case to join their crew, they nod to each other. The woman returns and eyes Eldon up and down. "I like this one," she says turning for the door. The captain unfurls the role again and lets Eldon make his mark upon it.

After signing the captain says the same thing to each of his new hands. "We sail at first light."

---

The docks are never really quiet or still, and not just for the creak and rock of the dozens of ships. Many a brave, foolish, or impatient captain has been known to dock in the dead of night and call for the harbor master so that he or she may begin their task of unloading and resupplying. But this morning is quieter and stiller than most as the sky begins to lighten and turn a soft pink with the rising of the sun. The some two dozen crew of the Vensinda begin quickly and precisely casting off under the booming voice of the Dutchman, while the captain stands ready at the helm and the woman crouches at the bow of a longboat, ready to tow the ship out of the harbor.

Spoiler: The voyage begins.

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So for your first posts please go ahead and introduce your characters to the story and let me know where you are aboard the vessel. Are you up in the rigging waiting to unfurl the sails, are you in the longboat ready to heave at the oars, are you below decks stowing your personal belongings? You ultimate role aboard ship might inform your choice but it doesn't have to dictate it. The Vensinda has a large enough crew and is a small enough vessel that people can work in shifts, and even something as fairly complicated and delicate as setting off doesn't require all hands to be involved. If a part of the story seems lacking please feel free to embellish or ask for details.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie was sick when she showed up at Port-au-Prince. She had been sea sick for most of the journey from England to the Caribbean, and her insistence to read through the waves and storms certainly hadn't helped. With her legs on firm ground she was finally able to hold something down, and although the local fare was exotic to her, everything tastes good when you're starving. After a few days some of her natural color had returned, though she still felt out of place half way across the world.

She had spent the few days before the Vensinda started hiring crew mostly in the room she had rented, preparing for her meeting with the captain and officers the way one would for a job interview. Partially because that was just how she did things, partly because Sophie had no idea what she would do if she was refused. She had no money to charter a ship home, and she didn't have many practical skills that could translate to a paying job here.

She was nervous approaching the group. Her letter of recommendation was her main leverage point, but there was always the possibility the captain would simply discard it. As it turned out, her apprehension was unfounded, even comical. She was pleasantly surprised with the captain's apparent relaxed attitude to magic, and happily gave her practiced, fanciful signature. She turns away to pack her things and passes a short, truly 'sailor and explorer' looking man headed to the same table. Am I in over my head..? Sophie shakes her head. Far too late for that now.

Sophie packs her things, then unpacks and packs them better, then tries to sleep for a few hours. She paces around the room, lights a lamp and reads in bed for a bit, and eventually gets a few hours of sleep. Needless to say, she arrives at the Vensinda early. Standing on the dock, she watches the boat bob up and down, and presses her hand against the hull, deep in though. Her eyes linger on the name set into the side of the vessel. "I suppose I am," she says softly in Portuguese, seemingly to no one. The young scientist carries her things on board: a fairly normal amount of clothes and personal effects; a larger box of notes, books, and binders full of writings; a crate on hinges full of display boxes, pins, an inspection stage, and a small array of chemicals: mostly formaldehyde and other preserving agents; and less durable box filled mostly with blank books and pages and inks of a few colors.

By the time pink bands of light have started to stretch across the sky, Sophie has everything packed neatly away into the corner of her bunk space and tied down in case of rough weather. She sits on a box on the top deck watching the sunrise. She's happy to help if called out, but doesn't know what needs doing.

Spoiler

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Based on the number of people on board, I assume we don't have our own personal spaces, beyond whatever area near our bunks we can claim? Are we all staying in basically the same cabin?

[remetagross]

Ota has been led to Port-au-Prince by a tasty rumor. He has caught wind of a certain silverware merchant, having himself heard the tale from the mouth of a resting fisherman, that has been claiming he had had an exchange with a marine surgeon, according to which a beast most resembling a dragon of yore would have been sighted near the island of Barbados - the easternmost end of the Lesser Antilles. Hm. Ota has heard a fair share of similar gossips for the past fifteen years spent crisscrossing the Caribbean, but you know, that one rumor you're too incredulous to investigate might be the one true story you come across once every six months. That's the burden of the treasure seekers and the information gatherers - and Ota likes to think of himself as being both. So there he is, the flamboyant Pygmee, strolling around the bustling city, trying to pin down the aforementioned cutlery salesman. The explorer likes this kind of place. He leisurely walks by the market, trying to find a smell reminding him of home, and buying some grains for his parrot, Ntwa. He comes across the red quarter, not shy of lustfully staring once or twice. He engages in thoughtful debates with the priests of the sea gods about the magical creatures they sometimes deign to cast down on Earth to assist their faithfuls in combat - are any dragonlike ? The small black sailor is pleased when his name is thrown around him by someone who recognized him - which happens once or twice in that big a city.


But in the end, the quest is fruitless: there was no silverware merchant at all, only a drunken port clerk that invented whatever he could to have the attention of the ale-offering Pygmee that much longer. Ah well. What to do now?...find the next rumor, of course. It is thus that Ota catches wind of a certain captain looking for crewmen in order to explore...the Lesser Antilles. Dragons, no dragons? Best than remaining motionless, at any rate, and that'll remind him of some glorious moment of his past: it was near the coast of the island chain that, fifteen years ago, the dragon broke free of its links and allowed the slaver's rebellion that saw Ota free.


Tall Tale finds himself poring over a tediously well-written sailor contract. The captain seems promisingly competent, as do his two hench(wo)men. Official mission: exploration. That suits him too. Now, to persuade the three that he suits them as well...Ah, but he isn't given the opportunity to really defend his cause. The big man, however, seems to be convinced...by my dashing personality, of course interiorly grins Ota. Ah, this is it, their approval is obtained. Ota flashes his best smile in return to the enthusiastic...German, maybe, given the language? and eagerly signs the contract.


The Following day, Ota arrives almost too late to board. His oversized trunk, much too heavy for him to heave, is carried by his Tenser's Floating Disk, generated by his talisman. Not being overly concerned, the Pygmee carefully stores his belongings near the corner that has been attributed to him, happy to begin a new adventure. Ota then lets Ntwa take flight and perch itself amongst the nooks and ropes of the ship, while he himself nonchalantly walks around the deck, being careful not to be in the path of anyone however. He sets himself in position to admire the setting off from the prow.

[Dimers]

After both have received the blessing of the trio, Rattlebone shakes Ubirajara's hand, a custom each has become familiar with in their years of contact with various Europeans. "It will be good to continue traveling with you, avaré. You're a good man. I will see you on board."

The bokor retrieves his belongings from his innkeeper's care, then walks out to a rocky area on the shore to sit and wait. In the dead of night, when the moon is obscured by clouds and no person is nearby, he goes from barely visible to invisible. He moves from stone to stone out to the ocean, then walks toward the Vensinda with water up to his calves, the waves erasing his footprints as soon as they're made. Then he quietly paddles out to the ship with his goods resting invisibly atop his head, puts his hands to the hull, and climbs up as easily as if a ladder were there. Another fine performance of my "ghost-walking", he thinks with an unseen smirk.

Rattlebone finds where other crew have stashed their personal effects and adds his to the pile, changes his clothes, and goes to the deck to nap seated at the foot of the mast. The dark circles of glass over his eyes protect the illusion of omnipotence when sailors re-board in the predawn dimness -- no one can tell his eyes are closed until their exclamations of surprise have wakened him. "Welcome and blessings, fellow crew of Rattlebone ..."

[Chimaera]

The indigenous man walks through the crowded street of Port-au Prince trying not to raise much attention to himself, which was a hard thing in the past three ports he traveled too, but not too hard in such a busy and diverse city as this one, cockade or not.

But still, the last time he stayed too long in the same place he was almost caught by those traitors from the Black Wisp. Eçaiara seems to feel that his friend is rather tense and crawl with her cold body around his right arm, popping its head out of Ubirajara's simple clothes.

The indigean gaze at its eyes and grant her a smile, "All is good", and then looking as some people granted him space to walk unhindered after seeing the snake on the man's arm he add, "Now go back to hiding before those dogs finds us. I'll find a good shade for us to rest".

Spoiler: Tupi

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He always speak to Eçaiara in his native language, Tupi.

Ubirajara's eyes waters as the sun shine bright in the sky. Saying a silent curse to the star, he find refuge in a tavern and order some food and beer. A fellow friend have tipped him about this place, seems like there will be recruiting for an exploration far from the busy Port-au Prince. A perfect way to remove himself from the wary eyes of his former pirate friends.

Once his turn comes around, he walk to the two men and the woman that will judge if he's fit to join the crew.
"Have you tasted thi tavern's special? Yes? I can cook better than that", he says as one of his advantages, "And if the exploration is on some wild land, I can lived most of my life in the wilderness so I can help with that as well", he tell the captain in Spanish.

"And Eçaiara's here can help keeping the ship rat-free", he says and pet his snake's head.

After they discuss and approve him, Ubirajara shake their hands and thanks them, leaving for the bar where he meet Rattlebone and shake his hands, "You made it too, avaré? Wonderful. I'll meet you in the ship, just need to run some errands for the kitchen".

The rest of the day is spent bargaining and buying food and cooking utensils for the voyage to come and then drinking when night comes around. He make sure to buy a couple bottles of rum, a drink he learned to drink at Alejandro's ships.

The next day, Ubirajara is grumpy due the morning light and cant wait to check the kitchen when he hear a maíra speaking to no one in Portuguese and, curious as he is, Ubirajara ask her in that same language, "And what it is?", he ask her and seeing confusion in her eyes he add, "The thing you suppose you are".

Spoiler: Words

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Avaré: male friend
maíra: blonde woman (usually used to describe french women).

[El'the Ellie]

"Hmm?" Sophie turns around, clearly not expecting anyone to have been listening her. "Oh, Vensinda. The ship asks a question. I suppose I am coming. It's inviting, I suppose, if nothing else."

She studies the man in front of her for a moment. "Are you a member of her crew as well? I can't imagine there are too many other reasons to be here this early."

---

On board the ship, Sophie walks a wide circle around the man wearing a human skull on his face. The bits of bone gave her no pause - she had seen her fair share of cadavers, all in a medical context - but the obvious sign it was meant to be did. Were they victims of people that crossed him? Conquests? Either way, this man was a proud killer, a scoundrel, and worthy of her caution. She says nothing to him, but fixes her glasses and keeps her wide eyes on him as she carries her box across the deck to the cabins.

[Chimaera]

"Ah, pardon me. I'm Ubirajara and I'll be your cook", he says and look at the ship, "Well, not yours, but Vensinda's". His pet snake pop its head out of his clothing and spy to whom its master is talking to, "And this is Eçaiara, our rat hunter. If you see her aboard dont worry as she wont attack anyone from the crew".

Deciding not to bother her any longer, he give her a nod and take his things aboard and decide to seek shelter from the cruel sun above and check his kitchen.

[Almostdead]

Walking out of the local church, Eldon feels the weight of his backpack. He arrived at Port-au-Prince few days ago, following the Archangel's direction. Though he is not really a disciple, the church here accommodated him and prepared all the things he needs in his next journey. They even gave him a couple of rare magical items.

"A ship called Vensinda." Eldon looks at the bustling city and mutters to himself. This is a name that appeared in his dream last night and he is going to find it. On his way to the port, he ceased a fight, calmed a quarrel and healed a kid. Those were things that he couldn't easily ignore, which also slowed him down. He almost missed the captain at the port. But after his speech about the importance of speech, the captain allows him to sign on the contract.

He boards the ship and puts his belongings down. It is a fine ship indeed. But he has plenty of time to appreciate it in the future. He goes back to the church to help the poor for the rest of day.

Spoiler: Charity

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Donates 20GP to help the poor.

Next day early morning, before the sun rises, Eldon left the church and board the Vensinda. Several weird looking persons are already there. And he heard their self introduction. "Hello, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Eldon, the new crew member." He bows slightly.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie actually claps her hands together once, she is so excited to see the snake poke it's head out like a pet.

"Ooh! A Bothrops Jararaca, how exciting! I didn't realize they could be tamed! I'm curious to see how she reacts to being at sea for an extended period of time. Hello Eçaiara, I'm Sophie."

She doesn't seem to notice the fact that she properly introduced herself to the snake, and not the man.

Spoiler

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Sophie misidentified Eçaiara, but I see no reason she would be aware of the species' existence, since it's mostly limited to a not commonly known island.

[remetagross]

Ota, not having felt complied to properly introduce himself to the rest of the crew, reacts when he hears someone introducing themselves behind him. He turns around, bends his neck and raises his eyes to meet the gaze of the newcomer - as they will invariably be head and shoulders above him - and finds himself staring at the sky. Lowering his stare, the Pygmee finds himself locking eyes with a...white Pygmee of sorts. He raises his eyebrows high and flashes a bright smile to the young man.
"Hello there, Mister...Eldon. My name is Ota "Tall Tale" Likola." The adventurer gracefully bows in return.
"I'm new as well on the ship. I guess we both got recruited as part of yesterday's recruitment wave. It's a pleasure to meet you, and a greater pleasure even to talk to someone that doesn't leave my neck sore after a couple minutes. Tell you what, you're the first person I ever meet in the Caribbeans that's both that small and not from my birthplace...care to swap stories here?"

Ota engagingly walks across the deck as he listens to Eldon, while muttering appreciatively here and there.

[Chimaera]

"Tamed?", Ubirajara ask with a little confusion as the snake move its head to inspect the french woman, "She is trained, yes. But she is wild still. Say hello, Eçaiara".

The indigean offer his hand (the one with the poisonous snake) to the woman, "Pleased to meet you, Sophie".

Spoiler: Snake's Hand

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If she shakes his hands the snake will crawl to wrap herself on Sophie's hand and raise its head to become face to face with the scientist for a few seconds before returning to Ubiraja.

Hearing others new recruits introducing themselves, Ubirajara look at both pygmee and do as well, "So you're new to the Vensinda as well? I'm Ubirajara, the new cook. This is Eçaiara, our pest control.

[remetagross]

Raising his head for good this time, Ota reaches up to the indigenous man with the snake, and offers an outstretched hand, grinning.
"We are, dear fellow. I'm Ota Likola, our new...well...I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do here for the time being, to be honest. But that big German man assisting the captain seemed to like me for some reason. Anyway, I'm forgetting all my manners! This is Eldon, who was about to introduce himself a little more", adds a mischevious little adventurer as he moves aside and gestures to his neighbor.

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie hesitates for a moment, then shakes the man's hand. She watches the snake closely: with a small push to adjust the glasses on the bridge of her nose, she peers closely, clearly remembering every last detail she can. For a moment it's uncertain whose gaze is more intense: her's or the viper's.

When Eçaiara slithers back to her master, Sophie has a fleeting look of disappointment. Nevertheless, she follows the two of them on board. Not being directly spoken to by Ota or the others, she gives their conversation an awkward breadth and attempts to pass by without a word.

[Dimers]

"Ota? Ota Likola is you?" Rattlebone takes off his dark glasses as he walks closer to the conversation. He squats down and offers his hand to the pygmy man. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Lady, gentlemen, Ota is already practically a living legend! They say he has spoken with dragons and lived to tell the tale -- some think he's turning into a dragon himself." The bokor smiles. "The legend of Rattlebone is not so grand as that, but the two of us joining forces for a venture should truly be a sight to see."

[Almostdead]

"Well, It's a pleasure to know that you feel comfortable when we talk." Eldon smiles sincerely in response to Ota. "And stories, I think I got plenty of "good" stories to share."

Then Eldon notice the snake and his master. "Hello, Ubirajara. A cook with a...poisonous snake?" He recognized its species. "You must be a very talented cook." Eldon hesitates a little but still nods to Ubirajara.

"Rattlebone, well met." Eldon looks at his dark glasses curiously. "You're a distinctive person with a distinctive name. I sure hope we can all venture in the name of goodness."

While Eldon is talking with others, he sees a female figure leaving this room. "Sophie, Is it? I overheard your introduction. I sense a special aura from your body. Perhaps we should speak more often?"

Spoiler: error

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Yeah, I copied the wrong name.

[TheBarbecueChip]

Below Decks

The stairs leading down from the main deck open directly onto the gun deck. A dozen heavy canons, six on a side, resting on locked rollers sit before closed gun ports. Piles of shot and barrels of powder are all stacked neatly near the canons and the various tools for loading and cleaning them are also precisely organized to facilitate efficiency in battle.

The Vensinda is not so grand as to have cabins, even for her officers. It would appear that the captain and his two lieutenants share the gunnery quarters at the stern between them, and the hands all share a forward storage hold. Net hammocks are slung haphazardly between various anchor points in the structure of the ship. Personal belongings are stashed and stowed wherever there is room.

Spoiler: Ubirajara, The Galley

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The muted glow of the sun filtered through the wood plants of the main deck to the gun deck, but the galley is located even deeper within the bowels of the ship, at the bow. The only source of light in the cluttered room is a small port hole. The iron stove squats in one corner of the room is grated mouth giving it the appearance of a scowl. The various cabinetry and counter tops are all designed for someone of average height, but it would appear that the captain had a pair of stools purchased for Ubirajara since they stand out quite noticeably from the clutter.

A trio of chickens and goats greet the new cook, and his reptilian companion, with bleats and clucks. They are all caged on the far side of the kitchen. The chickens are obviously kept for their eggs and the goats for their milk. Beside them stands a collection of fishing poles, nets, and harpoons. The Vensinda carries some supplies be it is clear that half the job of its cook is to compliment those supplies daily.

The absolute disarray of the room lead Ubirajara to wonder under what circumstances the previous cook departed. While it would appear that there is everything needed to supply a functioning kitchen, and more, it is scattered all over the place with no though to function or efficiency.

Above Deck

As the rowers begin to pull at their oars the Vensinda turns and makes her way smoothly towards the mouth of the harbor. Even at this hour she is not the only vessel trying to make her way through the relatively narrow straight, and occasionally voices are lifted from the decks of other ships, sometimes in greeting, other times in anger. The captain stands at the helm and bellows back in whatever language comes to his ears, giving as good as he gets.

The various deckhands milling about seem friendly enough. Calls to make way or look out are made in polite tones that communicate the message even if it is not always in a language that everybody understands. Crates and barrels are still being shifted below decks as the final preparations are ended even as the ship begins its journey.

Ubirajara, or perhaps more specifically Eçaiara, gets a few second glances. Men mutter that they prefer a ship's cat to a ship's snake and wonder not to quietly if their new cook will be able to make up the difference with his skills in the galley.

A fire haired pale skinned woman pauses her work in the rigging not far above the heads of the gathering of new hands. She slips down a line to hang upside down near the gunwale and offers a piece of advice. Her Spanish is passable but it is clearly a second tongue and she has no ability at all to roll her r's, "Take care who you call German, mister, or Piet might load you into one of his cannons. He's a proud one, our Master Gunner, and several of his scar were won against the Prussians. But I'm being rude." She extends her hand and drops one leg off the line so that her body twists over and her thumb points upwards "You all and call me Roisin, mistress of the rigging." her eyes sparkle at this last flourish and you get the feeling she might be poking fun at Ota and Rattlebone's interaction.

Before anyone can actually take the offered hand the captain barks out and order and several people, Roisin included, drop to the deck and take hold of a two sets of lines. The Vensinda has cleared the harbor and the crew of the longship climb up ladders lowered over the side of the vessel. Piet, the large blonde gunnery officer takes hold of one of the ropes himself and calls out, the meaning clear, ""Ready!"

[El'the Ellie]

There's a moment of hesitation where Sophie isn't quite sure how to respond to Eldon. Special aura? What is he talking about?

Her reply trundles out haphazardly, the way it usually does when meeting new people. "Venomous."

Then, after realizing her point wasn't clear, she follows up. "Eçaiara is venomous, not poisonous. Poison will kill you if you eat it, but you can digest venom. It has to be introduced to the blood. That's why they have... you know." Sophie puts two curled index fingers on either side of her mouth and mimics a biting motion. "The fangs. To pierce the skin and inject the venom.

Um, but that's not really what you asked. This ship isn't very large as far as ships go, so us speaking will be something of an inevitability. Not to imply that I'm not looking forward to it."

She can't help but feel like she had botch that particular introduction. That's twice I've talked about the snake instead of introducing myself correctly. Am I going to do this right for even a single one of these people?

But that thought is quickly wicked away from her mind as the ship takes full sail. The view is stunning, of course, the orange and pink sunrise splattered across untold miles of open ocean. But the queasy feeling in her stomach starts to return. If Sophie's prior trip to Port-au-Prince is any indication, she'll soon be leaving her breakfast in the harbor. Anyone with a moderate amount of seaman experience can probably tell, as she puts a hand on the railing to steady herself and watches the incoming waves, trying futilely to predict each bounce and dip.

Spoiler: Names

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Eçaiara is the snake, Vensinda is the ship.

[remetagross]

Crap.

Ota bows to the woman that admonished him, feeling indeed sorry for his mistake. He calmly answers in the same language:
"Ah, well, that's duly noted. I don'thave the ear for languages, and so I mistook his speech for German. I'll make sure not to make that mistake again. And it's an honor to meet you, Mistress Roisin, aye." He adds the last word to make his sentence more pirate-like.

But the tranquil Pygmee is never down for long, and Rattlebone offers him the opportunity to gracefully bounce back. Ota vigorously shakes the offered hand, and performs an exaggerated salute, his parrot mimicking the latter gesture. He continues in Spanish:
Hey, dear Rattlebone, I can't say I'm not pleased to be given such an introduction! You know what they say, these are all of course pure rumors and affabulations. A Pygmee turning into a dragon? Preposterous!...or is it?, adds Ota in a malicious smile.
But you're diminishing your own merits. Who hasn't heard of the marvellous Rattlebone, the bokor shrouded in mystery, whose mere presence is said to bring about luck? Look, fellows!"
Raising his voice a little, Ota gestures for his neighbors to watch what is going to happen. He takes out a coin, flips it high in the air, and while the coin flies:
"Rattlebone, head or tails?"

[Dimers]

"Bird," Rattlebone responds with a sly smile. A fraction of a second after the coin lands in Ota's palm, so does a pale dove. The creature stretches its wings slowly and utters a "Coo-oo", then flaps back into the air. It's not clear just where the dove came from -- there hadn't been one in sight a minute ago.

[Chimaera]

Ubirajara first trip to the kitchen was... not that bad. Everything is messed up, but one of his kitchens was a rock so he wasnt going to complain about this one specially given how dark it was inside it. No more cursing sun burning my eyes and skin.

He decide that the sooner he started to organize the kitchen the better and it seemed that once Vensinda sails things would be harder to do. Checking the living stock, Ubirajara makes sure to instruct Eçaiara not to prey on those, but the snake got the best of negotiation and was promise a few eggs from time to time.

Back from the kitchen, Ubirajara listen to people talking and just join in for the magic trick which fool him as he try to understand what happened. These small people have different kind of magic.

Since Eçaiara seemed more interested in Sophie, Ubirajara draw closer. "You dont look so good. And I guess have seen that face before... Sea sickness? Want me to brew you a tea to help things staying inside?", the cook and herbalist offer.

[remetagross]

"By the balls of Davy Jones, what was this??" Ota is half adding some for showoff purposes, and half honestly flabbergasted. And fully pleased to see Rattlebone is going to play the same game as him.
"There there Ntwa, don't get mad", as he calms his parrot down who started to cawk vigorously at the unknown bird popping out of nowhere. "It's simply our dear Rattlebone, who rattled us all a little here..."

[Dimers]

Rattlebone stops and looks more intently at the parrot. "Mmmmm, you're quite a smart creature, aren't you? Smart enough to be surprised ... A trickster like me would do well to learn from a wise bird like you." He slowly offers an untensed hand to Ntwa, murmuring the quiet sort of rrrwwk noises some contented pet birds make. "Can we be friends, Ntwa?"

Spoiler: no wild empathy for you!

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Wild empathy doesn't work on Int 3+ magical beasts, but Rattlebone wouldn't suspect Ntwa is that smart. He has little familiarity with familiars.

A little later, Rattlebone looks for the other short man. "Eldon. Well met. When y--" He pauses as a thought crosses his mind. In English, he continues, "Is English your native tongue? Your accent sounds more Anglo than Castillian. Anyway. When you gave me your name earlier, you suggested we work 'in the name of goodness'. Tell me, are you a man of the cloth? Religious?" Rattlebone isn't giving any special emphasis to the Church of the Living God holy symbol he wears on a chain, but the question serves to highlight it anyway. The symbol is silver -- untarnished; it's been polished recently.

[Almostdead]

"Actually, Spanish is my mother tongue. But I met an otherworldly teacher, that changed the way I speak. Hard to believe, isn't it? You may consider this the first story I shared with you." Eldon grins and nods to both Rattlebone and Ota.

Then he looks at Rattlebone's chain."And about the second question. I have faith, but I'm not a disciple of any gods. As far as I can see, goodness is the ultimate faith of most religions in the world, except those evil cults. I pursue the same faith as theirs. So, it's fine to call me religious."

After that, he points to Rattlebone's human-skull jewelry"What about you? Do you have any stories to share?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie closes her eyes and lets out a controlled breath as the ship jostles over a wave. "No, no. ... Okay, maybe that would be wise. Thank you... what did you say your name was?"

If Ubirajara leaves, she tries to distract herself watching the others, and the distraction proves fruitful, as the man being called 'Rattlebone' seems to conjure a bird from nowhere.
Huh... Clearly magic of some kind. A prestidigitation, or some kind of illusion? Either way, perhaps there's a fellow arcanist aboard! Hopefully he's not as... barbaric as his facial decoration would suggest. She makes a mental note to discuss it with him soon. She almost said something in the moment, but as the conversation switches to boisterous laughter, religion, and stories, Sophie can't help but feel ill equipped to join in. Instead she listens and watches the others from a few paces away, but by the time Ubirajara returns she has both palms on the rail, leaning over a bit.

[Chimaera]

"Ubirajara", he says and leave Sophie and Eçaiara abovedeck and make his way back to the kitchen where he boil some water and look into his bag of herbs for some chamomile and, failing to find any, he look around and ask the spirits for some.

[Spoiler=Minor Creation]Creating a handful of chamomile.[/spoiler ]

A handful of sprouts in Ubirajara's right hand from thin air, as if they were always there. He then proceed to prepare a small cauldron of tea. If she have a weak stomach she'll probably be needing more of this later.

Once the brew is done, he serve a mug and go back abovedeck. "Here! This will help with you stomach but it isnt good for pregnants. Are you?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie looks up and accepts the mug with a grateful look. "No, that should be fine. Thank you."

She continues listening to the others discussion as she sips the tea. "You seem well versed in physiology. Moreso than most men tend to concern themselves with things like pregnancies, at any rate."

Despite the fact that it's a statement, it sounds like a question.

[remetagross]

The parrot lowers its head to examine the offered hand, intrigued. Raising his head back to Ota's ear, it then very audibly cawks to him in Spanish:
"I don't know, Boss. What do you think?"
Ota pretends to ponder for a second, before answering in an exaggeratedly serious manner:
"...I think he's fine. Go ahead!"
Ntwa then cawks back in a thoughtful tone:
"Alright, if you say so...Rattlebone, I think we can be friends."
And that being said, the parrot perches himself atop Rattlebone's extended wrist before jumping to his shoulder in a flap of wing. Ota has a hard time keeping his face level, as he is extremely pleased to have had the occasion to pull off one of their classical tricks.
"Congratulations, Rattlebone!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ntwa is mechanically a raven familiar, and as such has the Supernatural ability to speak one language, which is Spanish.

Leaving Ntwa to Rattlebone for as long as each of them enjoys it, the Pygmee strolls around the deck, briefly introducing himself here and there. He comes in view of Ubirajara and Sophie.
"Hello there, fellows. Would you happen to have a spare cup of tea?"

[Chimaera]

"I was not the strongest warrior in my tribe, so I trained to become a herbalist and healer", he answer her, "Cooking being a good mix of both".

When the pigmee interrupt them Ubirajara look at the man, "There should be some left in the kitchen. Are you also seasick?", he asks the man and add, "Feel free to get some once you go belowdeck".
On the deck floor, Eçaiara look hungrily towards the colored bird flying not so far from them and turn its head to Ubirajara, who frown at the snake and veto it to eat the bird. "Is that araguaci with you? My captain had one like that but it spoke only a few curses and insults".

[remetagross]

"I'm not, but thanks for the enquiry. I just like tea. As to this bird - I assume that word meant bird? -yes, it's with me. It can and will spit curses and insults, but it can do more than that. Ask it!" answers Ota with a smile.
"And I guess that's the same for this snake, isn't it? It's a travelmate of yours? I like snakes. They remind me of dragons."

Ota leaves to take the tea as the new cook has told him to, and after coming back on deck, sipping his cup while resting on the gunwale. He stretches out the hand not holding the tea to Ubirajara and Sophie.
"I'm Ota Likola. How about you fellows?"

[El'the Ellie]

Sophie shrugs, then takes another deep breath as the ship rocks over another wave. The tea seems to be helping, although the french woman's hand is still firmly attached to the railing of the boat for now.

"Feh, all the better for you then. Any idiot with a sword can cut his fellow man. It takes a person of bravery and mental fortitude to fix those so injured. Not to mention a brain, if you're to have any real proficiency."

She watches the bird, and Ota as he joins their conversation. "Your parrot is lovely. How did you teach it to mimic names like that?"

When he returns, she somehow answers as if he never left: a very jarring situation that might explain the confusion. "No, not really. I can see why, but much of a dragon's nature rises out of its innate connection to the Arcane and its powerful build. They remind me more of felines with scales and wings than anything, I suppose, but I've never really put them on par with any animal. I would love to see one though. Even academic texts are all hearsay and speculation."