S. O. S.

[Maryring]

On the 9th of Selena, The Mistress of the Waves left Coralspire port. This huge and marvellous ship is seen as a prime example of the incredible technological advancements that colour this era of time. For the passengers and crew, the thought that the ship could ever sink is simply preposterous.

Unfortunately, that thought will soon become reality.

It is the 13th of Selena. Approximately an hour after sunset and the ship is sailing along the southern coast of the Wintercliffs. Due to the predictions of good weather, the captain has ordered that the large stability tanks be emptied of water to increase the speed. However, some time after sundown, a gargantuant storm quickly brews up like a bolt from the blue, causing the ship to tilt uneasily.

Though no passenger could ever predict what is now going to happen...

---

Mara

The door leading out of the doctor office slowly close as the doctor herself lean back in her chair to rub her temples in frustration. It's late, her body is tired from a long day of hard work, and she still hasn't gotten a chance to eat. She looks up as the door to her office opens, and a smile spreads across her face as nurse Gretha steps in, wearing her brilliantly white nurse outfit.

"Good evening Mara. Long day?" The slightly older nurse smiles as she takes a seat near her colleague. "You should go and eat. There's eggdrop soup for dinner today, so I asked Louis to let him give you my bowl." She smiles as she says the last part with a wink.

---

Wellon

Deep in the bowels of the ship machinery, several large and muscular men work by feeding the hungry furnace large amounts of coal. One of the largest of these men would be Wellon the minotaur. Usually found closest to the furnace, where his great reach can be put to good use. And it is while he is doing this job that his boss, Patrick Soren the Chief Engineer, calls out for him.

"Wellon!!!" The engineer bellows out, trying to make his voice heard across the ruccus of the engines. "Come up here at once! I have need for you!"

---

Meurin

The golden woman of draconic heirtage walks the halls of the ships, minding her own business as usual. Outside, a storm is howling and pushing against the ship, causing it to creak and turn unsteadily. However, paying attention to the sound of the sea means that she isn't paying attention to the path ahead of her, and she crashes headfirst into a young woman carrying a huge stack of books. The girl is sent sprawled headfirst on the floor, with her books falling into a heap around her. A pair of glasses fly from their careful position on her face and into the heap of paper and ink. Bashfully, the girl looks up at Meurin for a split second before she glances down on the ground again.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to barge into you." She says shyly.

---

Ceutic

In the chapel of the ship, a simple chaplain is bowed deep in prayer. The middle-aged man is so caught up in his fervent prayers that when the door is barged open from the other side, his heart skips two beats, considering wether it should stop beating or not. Once he has regained his breath, he turns around to see a young woman clad in a pure white wedding dress. She laughs happily as she trots over to the priest, almost stumbling several times in her eagerness. "It's almost now. I can't believe it. Tomorrow at this time I'll be married." She finally reaches over to the man and breaks all rules of intimacy when she pulls the old man into a hug. "I can't thank you enough for doing this on such short notice."

[JettWilderbeast]

Wellon

Wellon looks over to where Patrick is; Alright! I'muhh headin ova' boss! Wellon always liked Patrick, he treated him as an individual. Not a minotaur. Wellon props his overly large furnace shovel against the wall and heads over to Patrick.

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

The sea was a marvelous thing for a child born so far inland. A roiling mass of water teeming with life and adventure called to the dragon-maiden as if a mother beckoning her child to return home. In a flash, her concentration is broken by a sudden and painful stop. The dragon-maiden tumbles to the ground after head-butting something. Instinctively, the woman growls and a curling tendril of black smoke escapes from her nostrils. She quickly reigns herself in, however, and focuses on the interference.

Meurin's face grows hard as her lips turn downward and the molten golden orbs that make up her eyes regain their focus. She appears human to any observer at medium distances, except for the oddity of someone with golden skin. But in such intimate proximity, her appearance is more scales than flesh. The soft gray robes she normally wore are obscured by a set of leathery dragon-wings that enclose her body in their tight embrace.

The dragon-maiden takes in her interrupter with cold-eyes and a hard stare, which quickly softens as she realizes it was an accident. Meurin was a softy for people who apologized. She reaches forward to take the girl's glasses before standing up. "It's alright, though it's a wonder you're able to see properly at all, Scholar. Do you need my assistance, young Scholar?"

[highapostle]

Ceutic

Please don't let it be chicken please don't let it be chicken please don't let it be chicken I'm completely sick of it please don't let it be chicken murmured the priest in a low tone in front of the altar to Pelor. Seriously, they were on a luxury ship, sailing across a sea where the fish practically jumped in the boat, between the two richest kingdoms in the known lands. Couldn't the chef show just a little variety in his dishes?

Without warning the door to the small chaplain slammed open, and Ceutic scrambled to his feet, clutching his holy symbol of Pelor while quickly trying to think of an invocation that would stop a rampaging homicidal cook who had happened to randomly read his thoughts. It took a few heartbeats (or lack thereof) for his brain to reconcile the nightmare of a seven foot cleaver-armed half-orc in an apron with the beautiful petite woman in a white dress that his eyes were actually seeing.

Making her way up to him with only a few slight mishaps, she obviously didn't notice that the priest was still frozen in a half-defensive half-confused pose as she laughed and announced ""It's almost now. I can't believe it. Tomorrow at this time I'll be married." Wracking his mind for something priestly to say in response, Ceutic only managed to move his body into a somewhat more natural pose before she suddenly hugged him. "I can't thank you enough for doing this on such short notice," she cooed, body pressed against his, big doe eyes looking up at him. A less savory cleric may have tried to take advantage of the situation, but Ceutic was too busy trying to remember what "avuncular" means, as he was sure that one of the elders back at the temple had told him to act that way if a beautiful young woman every threw her arms around him. Also, he was desperately trying to determine whether half-orc kitchen staff were capable of this level of disguise and deception.

Without waiting for a response, the young woman (what the devil is her name?) released him and started pacing the small room, ticking off items on her fingers. "I have my dress - amazing what that elvish tailor can do in such short notice! Bertan already has a good suit along, naturally, he has several, but I think he will really looking smashing in this one, goes well with this dress and my eyes. The main dining room has been booked, we found two halfing tourists from ... from ... well I can't remember where from, but they've agreed to be witnesses, and where Bertan's from halflings are considered a sign of fertility, don't you know," stopping and looking back at Ceutic with a slight smile. Ceutic suddenly found interest in his holy symbol again, but the pause in her speech was only ever so brief as she went on listing all the arrangements for flowers, food (thankfully not chicken!) and the party afterwards.

"And finally, you and the captain have agreed to co-officiate the ceremony! Really, I can't thank you enough!" By this point Ceutic had came up with something official-sounding to say, but before he could even open his mouth she turned back toward him and gave the priest a quick kiss on the lips, and then ran out giggling madly. "I will see you on the morrow!" she yells over her shoulder.

"The ... the blessing of Pelor upon you!"Ceutic shouted feebly after her, and then sighed. Growing up in an aristocratic family he had seen his share of oddball characters, but this ship took the cake. Taking a deep breath, he half-collapsed into a chair, knowing that there were a few more regular characters who had not appeared yet today, and who undoubtedly would soon.

[Lonna]

Mara

"Thanks Gretha, I'll do that." answered Mara, smiling gratefully. Egg drop soup was her favorite, and just what she needed after today.

"Beware, I've had a husband and wife in every hour or so for most of the day. The husband has a bad case of sea-sickness, can't even keep down the ginger-root tea while the ocean's this rough. He keeps swearing that he's going to die, and his wife is one of those empty-headed noble's daughters who can't seem to remember that he was saying the same thing an hour before. It takes me a good fifteen minutes to get rid of them, and that's when I don't have other patients in here who I can help right now. I'll be glad when the storm calms enough for him to keep down the tea. That should deal with his sea-sickness and I'll actually be able to get a little time for myself." She sighed.

"Anyway, those two are the only real headache I've had today, and I just got rid of them a few minutes ago, so you should have at least a half hour before they show up again. I'm going to take the rest of the night off. See you at breakfast time; if there's an emergency you know where to find me."

Her last statement was quite true, Mara reflected as she grabbed the satchel containing her portable healer's kit and a few surgical tools. She always carried the satchel with her in case of emergencies, and she knew her way around the whole ship, but there were really only four places she was ever found on a regular basis: her office, her quarters, the crew's dining area, and the ship's chapel. The reason for this was not clear even in Mara's own mind, but anyone who happened to follow her out of her office might see a hint of the reason.

The moment the door closed behind her, Mara seemed to shrink into herself, transforming from a confident doctor to a mouse-ish young woman who hurried through the halls as if she didn't belong there. Up three flights of stairs, take the first left, then the third left. Silently Mara recited the directions she had been given when she first arrived on the ship. Pass another flight of stairs, then the chapel is on the right. Darting into the back of the chapel, Mara let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and relaxed a little, becoming just slightly less mouse-ish. Without moving from her place in the corner, she bowed her head and said a quick prayer for each of the patients she had seen today, even, no especially the sea-sick husband and his ditzy wife.

A few minutes later, her prayers said, Mara raised her head. If the priest had noticed her, he gave no sign. Just as she always did, Mara considered speaking to him, confiding in him as she had in Gretha. After all, wasn't it a priest's job to listen to things like that? As always, she decided that one confidante was enough to bleed the poison from her wounds and turned away. Unconsciously, she took a deep breath, then scurried out into the halls again. Back to the stairs, up one flight, turn left, go straight until you reach the dining hall. Crew dining is the right-hand door.

Inside the dining hall she paused, glancing around the room, then straightened up a little, making her look merely shy instead of mouse-ish, and headed for Louis and the eggdrop soup.

[Maryring]

Outside the ship, the waves continue to rise up and down, pounding against the hull of the ship. Lightning flares across the sky, sending loud cymbals of sound to reverberate across the black ocean. The ship creaks dangerously in the waves.

---

Meurin

"No..." She says as she accepts the glasses and quickly pushes them back on place. Her eyes still refuse to look up at Meurin and she instead goes to focus on the dropped books and paper. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to barge into you." She says meekly and timidly turns to face Meurin. Once her eyes lock on the draconic woman, she adjusts her glasses a little, then blinks. "Oh wait..."

---

Mara

The moment the meek doctor steps into the dining hall, she is greeted by the waving hand of Louis, standing in the corner of the room with his cauldron filled to the brim with delicious soup. "Hey, Mara. Glad to see you could make it." With a cheerful grin, Louis pours some soup into a bowl and hands it to the doctor. "Here, eat. You'll need the energy."

---

Wellon

Patrick appears very anxious when Wellon comes up to him. He frowns at Wellon and points to a toolbox. "Take that with you up to the bridge. The captain needed someone with muscle to fix something for him. Now what're you waiting for? Hurry!" Patrick shoves the large minotaur ahead of him, then turns to the rest of the crew. "Work harder. We're moving too slow to escape the storm." The voice of the Chief Engineer becomes dimmer as Wellon picks up his toolbox and makes his way up through the ship.

---

Capsized!

The waves tower and pound against the ship. Thunder flares, and volley upon volley of water crashes against the ship, until finally a huge wave strikes into the ship, capsizing it in a matter of seconds.

---

Wellon

When the minotaur comes back to his senses, he finds himself lying on the floor with a throbbing headache. He shakes his head and looks around, the floor below him, it isn't the floor. It's the roof. Around him the lights on the ship flicker darkly as realization dawns upon him. The ship has been turned upside down. He struggles up on his knees, when he feels a sticky liquid flow across the ground beneath him. He lifts up one of his hands to see it glistening crimson red. He cringes and looks down to see small river of crimson blood flowing from behind him. Slowly, he turns to face the body of a dead woman, impaled on the wall ornament. The sight is so grizzly that Wellon can't help but back away. Once the initial shock has calmed however, he feels a sense of urgency coming over him. He is still alive, perhaps others are as well. A quick glance around him confirms for him that he had gotten to deck seven before the capsizing, and that he is currently on the left hallway... or is it the right one? Left or right, it doesn't matter. What matters now is getting out alive.

---

Mara

A truly gruesome sight awaits Mara when she opens her eyes. By some divine miracle, her fall during the initial capsizing has been dampened by a stack of tablecloths, thus leaving her body unharmed and alive. That... cannot be said for those around her. Louis lies beside her, boiled to death by his own soup. All around the room she can see the broken bodies of what was once her colleagues, but what is now only another thread severed. Tongues of fire flicker out of the kitchen, causing an afterglow in the floor where blood and soup is mixing to a truly disgusting liquid. Broken chairs, tables and bowls litter the path ahead of her back to the doors out of this chamber of death.

---

Ceutic

The Cleric finds himself lying sprawled across the room, bleeding from a small hole in his head where he hit the chair during his journey from top to bottom. Beside him, the chair he was resting on is knocked to splinters. Luckily the pillows on the chair itself saved him from sharing a similar fate. He gets on his feet to find that his life has gotten a new perspective. While he seems safe for the moment, there is no telling when this locale will be filled with flooding water, and from out in the hall he can hear a soft moaning.

---

Meurin

The dragon woman finds herself in good shape. While the capsizing of the ship happened very quickly, she managed to use her wings to soften the sudden fall. Her scholary friend is not so lucky though, and with no wings to speak of, she is sent tumbling through the hall, crashing into the once-roof-now-floor. Concerned, Meurin lands beside the girl to check her out. Luckily, the blow did not kill her. Just knock her out cold. The large amounts of paper around her must've done their job in dampening the blow.

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

Meurin immediately emotionally distanced herself from the heap of flesh laying on the ceiling. A reaction which came almost instinctively to someone so far detached from her otherwise human emotions. The woman stopped being a human, a person with a name, or even a living being. She simply became the Scholar, nothing more and nothing less. But that didn't answer the question that burned like fire within the dragon-woman's brain. A question she mulled over quietly as she reached down to take back the woman's glasses. Meurin clipped the glasses along the same string that bore her Great Mother's hand to keep them safe. Meurin thoughtlessly gives words to her question, and speaks to no one in particular given the deserted state of things. "So what did you recognize about me..?"

The dragon-woman takes a quick moment to recite a small incantation, which dramatically increases her knowledge. Without further ado, the dragon-woman attempts to lift her unconscious charge and ferry the Scholar up to what used to be the cargo hold. If the woman proves to weigh more than a hundred pounds, then Meurin just drags her along. During this time, Meurin thinks about how long a large ship would take to sink.

Spoiler

Show

Using Invocation: Draconic Knowledge for +6 to her Knowledge checks for 24 hours.

Knowledge.. Uh.. Architecture? They're all the same, so whichever is most appropriate. The only knowledge check she lacks is Local. (1d20+10)[16]

[Lonna]

Mara

For an instant, Mara merely stared at the carnage around her, stunned both by it's gruesomeness and by the fact that she herself was unscathed. Then she took a deep breath, banishing both panic and grief. She was surely not the only survivor here, but she was the only doctor. She was needed; she didn't dare break down now. Fumbling a little, she gathered up as many of the tablecloths that had broken her fall as she could, trying to take only the cleanest ones, ones that could be cut up for bandages, and stuffing them into the satchel, though she was careful to keep her healer's kit and tools at the top, in easy reach. Now as prepared as she could be, she began to search the room for someone, anyone, who had not yet lost their hold on this life. As she worked, she kept an eye on the kitchen, hoping the flames would not spread. Once I've finished in the dining hall, she decided, I'll look in the kitchen and try to put out the flames. I wish Gretha was here; I could use an extra pair of hands. I hope she's all right. Shaking her head, Mara tried to rid herself of the sudden image of Gretha lying on the floor of her office, bleeding to death. "Never go running off to save someone who might be injured when there are people right in front of you who need help," she reminded herself. "There is plenty for me to do here.

[highapostle]

Ceutic blinked slowly, once, twice, three times, and then sighed. The room refused to righten itself in that time, and he was slowly coming to the realization that something was horribly wrong. The next stream of thought, on what had caused this violation of normalcy, was equally fruitless; it was highly unlikely that he had accidentally mumbled some obscure words of power while dozing in his chair that caused gravity to reverse itself, and he knew nothing about how ships generally operated, aside from the fact that they tended not to flip over and stand on their heads (masts?) for fun.

Standing up fully now, the cleric became aware of a sharp pain on his forehead that definitely was not there before the world turned topsy-turvy. A quick look in a shattered mirror showed a small bloody gash, undoubtedly created by the treacherous chair that he had been sitting in when it had shattered into pieces. Ceutic debated giving the remains a vengeful kick for good measure, but instead vented his frustrations on the alter tablecloth, using a small ceremonial dagger resting on the floor nearby to create a crude wrapping for his head wound.

Before having the chance of debating what to do next, the soft moans of somebody in pain from just outside the door awoken his priestly instincts to go forth and aid someone in distress. That, and his natural inclination to get away from uneasy situations rather than wait for trouble to find him prompted him to carefully pick his way through the wreckage of the chapel and out into the main hallway.

[JettWilderbeast]

Wellon
Dazed and confused Wellon stares at the Dead woman before his stomach seizes up and he dry retches from the sick sight in front of him... Something terrible had happened... had others been hurt?
Wellon looks around him looking for the stairs he came up from, well now down. Wellon, slightly sickened from the lady picks up his toolbox and heads back the way he came. He had to head back to the engine room. He had to make sure his friends he worked with were ok... He had to make sure Patrick was ok...
Besides the closest place to the surface was now the engine room.

[Maryring]

Meurin

The dragon woman slowly but surely pulls the unconscious girl through the halls, occasionally walking past the dead bodies of passengers less fortunate. While navigating her way to the nearest stairs, her brain wracks itself for a timer. While bouyancy isn't a topic she is very familiar with, she estimates that the ship will take between one and two hours before it will sink. After two minutes of trudging, she arrives at the stairs leading up. The stairs are placed in a smaller hallway that connects the two main hallways. While it will be easy for her to fly up the stairs, it will be difficult to get the unconscious woman with her. As she looks around pondering, her eyes suddenly fixate on pair of legs sticking out of the hallway on the other side of the ship. As her eyes remain fixed there, she notices that they move around slightly. Whoever the legs belong too, is alive. Looking a bit closer, she finds that the legs stick out beneath a large heap of pillows, carpets, towels and other similar articles of clothing.

---

Mara

What was once a pleasant room where the crew on the ship could eat and relax has been transformed into a true hell for the doctor. Her trained eye glances over colleague after colleague, only to be turned down as death upon death becomes clear to her. She is just about to give up when she stumbles across one whom death has not claimed yet. Beneath a table, she finds a young man. He seems to be unhurt, except that he has a large gash across his left leg, and his eyes shift around in shock. The bleeding is easily stopped, but the shock will be a major obstacle.

---

Ceutic

The cleric is forced to jump and climb a bit to reach the doors into the chapel. On his third try he manages to reach the handle on the door and twist it open. He then climbs out through the door and lands in the hallway outside. A quick glance confirms that the ship is turned around here as well. Luckily for Ceutic, the chapel is very close to the stairs, which is where the moaning is coming from as well. He quickly steps over and peeks towards the stairs to find the captain of the ship, moaning in pain. He lies sprawled near the drop down to the floor below, bleeding from a wound in the head. He is aware of his surroundings though, and when he sees Ceutic, he weakly lifts himself up in sitting position. "Ah, Ceutic. Glad to see you survived." He says with pain in his voice. "Can you help me? I think my legs are broken."

---

Wellon

As the minotaur trudges onwards, he quickly hears the sound of a sobbing child in the distance. Curiously, he makes his way towards where the sound is coming from. It forces him to walk past the stairs, and ignore a strange dragging sound coming from below, as he continues onwards to one of the "shopping streets" of the ship. There, next to what was once a shop selling jewelry is a small girl. She is leaning against the door to the shop, sobbing softly for her mother.

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

A soft sigh escaped Meurin's lips. Life became so much easier when you didn't care about other people, and Meurin lived this way normally. But flashes of altruism combined with an impressive ability to summon up guilt from the depths of her mind often drove her to risk life and limb like this. None the less, Meurin attempts to drag the unconscious scholar across the roof-turned-floor to go upward toward the bottom of the ship.

Failing that, Meurin will attempt to awaken her charge with light taps on the cheek and blowing cold air in her face.

[JettWilderbeast]

Wellon

Wellon approaches the little girl and crouches down near to her but not so close as to scare her, this poor little girl needed help and Wellon had to try;
Hey there... Wellon's Deep gruff voice hardly seems the kind of voice for soothing a distraught little girl but he carried on regardless; You lose Mother? Maybe she near? Lets look with me... What she look like...

Wellon upon asking what the girl's mother looks like has a flashback of the dead woman in the hallway and prays it isn't her...

Spoiler

Show

Would you like a diplomacy check for the little girl?
(1d20-1)[1]

[Lonna]

Mara

The coppery scent of blood stung Mara's nose, adding another dimention to the nauseating process of searching the once pleasant dining hall for survivors. Face after familiar face she identified, each with the spark of life long gone. Then at last - a slight movement, a quiet moan. Kneeling, Mara found the only other person in the room who had survived the disastrous event. He was young, at least three or four years younger than Mara herself, and seemed unharmed aside from a ragged but mercifully shallow gash in his leg. However, the carnage around him had sent him into shock, and Mara knew that to try to treat him immediately might cause him to panic and lash out at her. First she had to talk him down a little, try to get him to trust her.

"Paul?" she began, hoping she had remembered his name correctly. Gently she put her hands on either side of his head like blinders on a horse, directing his gaze to her face, and began to speak slowly and carefully, keeping eye contact with him as much as possible. "Paul, I want you to look towards me and nowhere else. My name is Mara Herbswife; I'm the ship's doctor. You've got a nasty cut on your leg and I need to bind it up. Stay very still and try not to fight me, ok? I'm not going to leave you, but you might not be able to see me. When you can't see me I want you to pick a spot on the table above you and look only at it; don't look around. Once I stop the bleeding I'm going to help you up and we're going to leave here, ok?"

Hoping her words had penetrated the fog of fear and pain she knew the young man must be experiencing, Mara turned her attention to his bleeding leg. Quickly she used the dagger at her waist to cut one of the table clothes in half, then remove a single long strip from edge. Moving carefully but as quickly as she dared, she used larger piece of the half-tablecloth to form a thick pad over the gash, then used the long strip to secure it to the young waiter's leg. {{Heal - (1d20+11)[26]}} Satisfied that her makeshift bandage would stop the bleeding, Mara moved back into Paul's line of sight.

"Paul? If we're going to get you out of here I need your help. I doubt I can carry you so you're going to have to try to walk. Close your eyes if you need to; I'll help support you and guide you out to the corridor, all right?"

[highapostle]

Ceutic

"Captain!" the cleric cries out, glad to see another crewmember, even in this state. Under the circumstances, the captain didn't seem to have any residual annoyance towards Ceutic for spilling tea on his dress uniform at the Captain's table the first night out.

Picking his way over to the prone man, the priest noticed that one of the captain's legs is noticeably broken, the limb sticking out at a weird angle, but the other not looking as bad, though very bruised. Gently placing his hands on the less damaged leg, Ceutic closes his eyes and mumbles a few words to let positive energy flow into the captain.

Spoiler

Show

Spontaneous casting of Cure Moderate Wounds:
[roll0]

"There now, hopefully we can get you up on that leg at least," Ceutic pronounced, looping the captains arm around his shoulder to help move him to a standing position. "So, what exactly happened here? I didn't see this on tonight's activity schedule."

[highapostle]

Spoiler

Show

Roll for Cure Moderate agin, hopefully this works this time:

(2d8+4)[9]

[Maryring]

Mara

Tears swell up in the eyes of the young man as he nods his head weakly. His arms and legs twitches slightly as the doctor tends to his wounds. With the expertise only a trained doctor can have, Mara quickly weaves a bandage around his wounds that will keep the blood in and dust outside. Once done, she manages to help the young man on his feet. He is still pretty shocked, but her clear commands make it easier for him to follow her. As the two of them struggles out of the dining room, Mara becomes aware of a rythmic pounding of pots from inside the kitchen.

---

Meurin

When she finds it impossible to continue on while carrying the scholar, Meurin is forced to calm down and try to awaken her. Luckily for Meurin, the young girl wasn't very far away, and she quickly reacts to the stimulation provided by the draconic woman. "Hmm? Wah?" She says in confusion as she glances around. "Where am I? What happened? And where are my books?" She asks loudly, causing the nearby living legs to kick around more actively.

---

Wellon

The little girl looks up at the minotaur before her, then puts her head down in her lap and continues to sob. "M...mom went to... to get me.medicine. And th... then everything t.turned u.upside down, and, and everyone stopped moving and, and mom she l. looks like..." The young girl sobs as she tries to explain what her mother looks like. Most of what she's saying isn't much help, but the girl does mention that her mother was wearing a grey and green work dress, a dress unlike anything Wellon has seen thus far.

---

Ceutic

The broken leg quickly straightens itself as bones mend and broken vessels knit together. Colour returns to the face of the captain as he straightens himself up with Ceutics help. "I'm afraid the situation is far worse than that." The captain responds grimly as he points down through the stairs. "The ship has capsized. Down there used to be the bridge. Now... it's nothing. I only survived because I was going to meet someone from the engine room in person." He grits his teeth, his voice filled with regret that it was he who went down and not someone else. "What about you? Have you seen anybody else who has survived this?"

[Lonna]

Mara

As she helped the injured man across the dining room, Mara heard a repetitive clanging coming from the kitchen. Someone was trying to call for help.

"Paul," she said when they reached the doorway, "I think there is someone in the kitchen, probably trapped and maybe hurt. I'm going to leave you here and go help, but I'll be back as soon as I can. You can go through to the hallway if you want, but stay close to this door so I can find you again, all right?"

As soon as she received some form of acknowledgement from the young waiter, she hurried through the dining hall, silently asking forgiveness as she stepped on the remains of her colleagues in her hurry to reach the kitchen.

"Hello?" she called, poking her head in first. "Is there someone in here?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

The dragon woman stands up with her face masked in a scowl of impatience. Meurin would need to speak quickly and calmly to rocket the woman through the depression and denial phases of grieving. "Stand, Scholar. We do not have much time. Our boat has inverted, begun sinking, and quite a few of your companions are dead. You now have a choice, Scholar. Either join them, or join me and try to live through this nightmare."

Without further ado, Meurin takes flight and heads up the inverted stairs. If the Scholar was strong-willed enough, she would follow. If not, then her survival would have been meaningless to begin with. The dragon-woman folds her wings over body before attempting to displace the large pile of clothes now covering someone's twitching legs.

[JettWilderbeast]

Wellon

Wellon stares at the little girl as she cries. Despite his worry for others Wellon feels a great longing to help the little girl; Come on eith me. We finds your mother together. I look after you. If the little girl lets him Wellon picks her up and puts her sat on his shoulder, if she doesn't he offers her a hand to hold. He looks around him taking in where he is. He then asks the scared little girl; Where's mother? We find her. We you see her last time?

[highapostle]

Ceutic

Glad to see that the spell worked, Ceutic assisted the captain to his feet while responding to his question. "You're the first person I've seen since the capsizing, dead or alive. Just before this happened the healer, Mara I think her name is, came by for her daily prayers. She didn't stay too long, and I don't know where she went from there. And before that, the bride-to-be made an appearance, but again I don't know where she was planning to go afterwards". Ceutic's heart sank as he realized that the young couple could be dead or dying right at that instant.

"We have to find them, the healer I mean, the couple, anybody!" The priest nearly shouted, the enormity of the situation finally hitting him. Nearly incoherent, he continued in short phrases, "Life boat ... halflings ... oh Pelor, what is happening ..."

[Maryring]

Mara

The young waiter gives a nod of acknowledgement as he struggles forward. The panic seems to slowly leave him as his instinct for survival takes over. As Mara glances backwards from her dash through the dining hall, she sees that he has reached the door, and is sitting next to it, panting and trying to collect himself.

When she puts her head into the kitchen, she finds herself instinctively pulling it out again as the flame licks dangerously close. She quickly collects herself however and tries again, taking care to not lean too far in. "Hello? Is there someone in here?" She calls out and waits for response. The banging stops and the voice of a female can barely be made out through the roaring of the fire. "Yes! Me. Christie Foxdaughter. Me trapped in fridge. Was going to get ice cream for dessert, but everything suddenly change, and water start pouring in. Please do help!"

Mara quickly assesses the situation. Fire is roaring out of several stoves, but she should be able to get to the large door that opens into the fridge. The door seems to be blocked by a cupboard that has fallen down against it. The pots and pans from the cupboard, as well as kitchen utensils from the rest of the kitchen, lie thrown across the floor in a random pattern.

---

Meurin

"Hey, wait for me." The scholar shouts as she jumps after Meurin. She has to try a few times, but she eventually manages to pull herself up to the next floor, where Meurin has already dug out another survivor, buried beneath the pile of cloth.

"Oh, thank you for rescuing me." The woman from the cloth says as she pushes herself up in a standing position. She is tall and middle aged, a few strands of white hair has begun to show on her head. Her skin is slightly tanned, the tan made more apparent by her blonde hair. Meurin doesn't pay much heed though, as her eyes are turned towards the next floor. The stair doesn't go further than the sixth deck, and the exit out of the stairs is blocked by a ravaging fire quickly eating up the oxygen of it's surroundings.

---

Wellon

The girl shakes her head. "Mommy said to not leave this. What if mommy comes and I am not waiting for her here?" She says, not sobbing as much now. It's obvious that Wellon's presence, for all it is worth, has a calming effect on her.

---

Ceutic

"Calm down Ceutic. This isn't the time to panic." The captain says as he looks around. "We might be the only survivors, but I doubt so. It will be too risky to go down and check deck 10. It can flood at any moment, but we need to see if others have survived." He glances up and down the hallway. "Let me cover the left of this floor, and you will cover the right. Meet me back here in ten minutes. We can't sacrifice more time than that."

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

Liquid golden orbs become golden slits against the backdrop of the dragon-woman's face. Her eyes studied the flames for a moment before turning back to the older woman. "I presume you heard what I told the Scholar. The ship is sinking, people are dead, and it would be prudent to do as I say unless you wish to join them. Now, if you want to sit down and have a good cry then go ahead. I certainly won't stop you. But I also will not stop from moving forward and I will not slow down. If you want to live to see your next sunrise, then follow me."

Meurin turns back to flames and ignores any protest. Time was of the essence, and she did not need to spend precious moments speaking anymore than she already had. The dragon-woman took a few calming breaths as she prepared herself. A being born of fire had little to worry about flames, but she would need to calm them in order for the Scholar and the other woman to survive. Her brain took the time to empty itself, then immediately begin to dehumanize the older woman. "I will freeze this fire, so do not get in front of me, Elder."

The dragon-woman's chest expanded as she sucked in more air than she needed. Her ribs spread in an inhuman manner, and her face became drained of it's golden color. Meurin now wore a mask of soft white across her normally golden scales, and for a moment she looked almost human. That is, until her color deepened and she looked to be a snow-woman. In a flash, her golden skin returned as she breathed out a gout of frozen flames across the raging fire.

Spoiler

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Using her Breath Weapon and augmenting it with the Cold Breath effect. It's a 15-ft cone, and she won't breathe if either the girl or the woman are in the way.

[Lonna]

Mara

Mara took in the situation quickly, frowning. If water is flooding the fridge she doesn't have much time; I have to get her out of there, and fast! So much for putting out the fires. I'll just have to hope that the water coming in puts it out, after we get out of here. She deliberately didn't think about the possibility that they might not get out.

Quickly she shifted her satchel to the opposite side of her body from the flames and started picking her way through the kitchen as fast as she could. "I'm coming Christie!" She shouted over the noise of the flames. "Try to push the door open; I'll see if I can move the cupboard blocking the way!"

Clambering on top of the cupboard, Mara braced her back against the wall and used her legs to shove forward, pushing the cupboard as far from the refridgerator door as possible. As soon as it starts to move she will prepare to drop down to the floor and push by hand if necessary. Strength Check - (1d20-1)[19]

{{OOC Edit: Woo-hoo! Natural 20!}}

[highapostle]

Ceutic

The priest took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Yes, yes, you're right, captain, I'm sorry. Nosy government officials, coups, assassinations, even hordes of unruly peasants, I'm used to those dangers, but a body of water bigger than my bathtub having it out for me is something that's still a bit beyond my comprehension."

Before the captain headed out to look for survivors, Ceutic handed him a vial of Cure Light Wounds potion. "Here, take this - a little pick-me-up for any survivors, it should get them back on their feet." With that, the two separated, Ceutic keeping an eye and ear out for any signs of survivors.

Spoiler

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Rolls for searching
Spot: (1d20+7)[22]
Listen: (1d20+5)[24]
Search: (1d20+0)[12]

[Maryring]

Mara

With the urgency of the situation weighing heavily on her shoulders, the doctor finds a sudden surge of strength within her she never thought possible, and she tosses the cupboard aside with no problem at all. The door into the fridge swings open and the heavily tanned foreigner stumbles out along with chilly seawater that brushes over Mara's feet. The water isn't uncomfortably cold, you could swim quite comfortably in it, though long exposure isn't recommended.

The salty water flows across the kitchen floor and with a loud hiss it forces the flames to retreat. It doesn't extinguish the flames, though it allows for a quick retreat out of the kitchen at least. "Oh thank you... Mara? Anybody else still living?" The cook asks with her broken accent.

---

Meurin

The cone of cold ice flows across the raging fire and quickly reduces it to a smoldering heap. Just as the path seems clear, the boat tilts from the heavy waves outside, and debris begins to fall down, blocking the path upwards from easy access. Meurin might be able to heave the blocking debris away, but it'll take a little time and make the bottom of the staircase completely blocked for anyone else hoping to use this staircase as a path to salvation.

---

Ceutic

After splitting up from the captain, Ceutic finds himself regretting the choice. It seems that everywhere he turns is another broken body or bleeding corpse.
However, halfway down the corridor he finds a sight that brings slight happiness in these tragic surroundings. From the office of the ship tailor, he can hear the sound of shuffling and pounding. He opens the door to find the elven tailor still alive, though ruffling hopelessly through the torn vests and sheets of silk impaled on needles and scissors. The elf doesn't seem to notice, or care, that Ceutic just came into the room.

[JettWilderbeast]

Wellon
The Minotaur looks confusedly at the girl, not realy sure what to do... Well, uhhh.... Hows if we come here after checking other places? Make sure she come back? Just being sure.
Wellon is sure he shouldn't leave the little girl.

[ZeroNumerous]

Meurin

"And thus the world strives to make my travels into trials.." Meurin turns to the other women. "So you have a moral dilemma. I could move this blockage with time, but anyone below us would be sealed inside a sinking wreck with only the hope for a quick death in their future. Are your lives worth more than theirs?"

[Lonna]

Mara

"Yes, it is Mara, Mara Herbswife." answered Mara as she hastily took advantage of the clear path back to the crew mess hall. "Brace yourself," she added as they reached the doorway, "There were a fair number of people in the mess hall, and excepting myself you're only the second survivor I've found."

As quickly as possible Mara crossed the dining hall for what she hoped would be the last time, helping the cook if necessary. Once they reached the door to the hallway Mara turned to Christie (and Paul if he's still this side of the door). "We should check the passenger dining hall for survivors. The water's already coming in so I don't think we have time to check more than that, but we can at least do that much." As she spoke she pushed through to the hallway, eager to get away from the bloody mess hall.

[Maryring]

Mara

"What? You mean everyone else be dead?" Christie asks in disbelief. Mara doesn't answer, but allows the cook to see for herself. Christie stares around herself in disbelief for a few moment, stunned by the sight. "Good gods. How this could happen?" She leans against the doorway, quickly collecting her thoughts, before she follows Mara back out to the hallway, mumbling softly to herself.

Once outside in the hallway, she finds Paul leaning against the walls, looking lostly up into the roof. He has gotten some colour back in his face now though, and seems more aware and less shocked. Upon being posed the question, Christie nods eagerly. "Yes. We must see if others survived." Paul, not so eagerly, stands up and nods.
"You do that. I'll go and make sure that we actually have a retreat."

---

Wellon

The little girl sniffs and looks up at Wellon. "But... but... what if mom is scared when I'm not here?" She ponders him for a moment. "Or do you think mom might need my help?"

---

Meurin

The two women sigh as they notice the block. The Scholar is obviously frustrated at the block itself, while the Elder seems more concerned about the morals of this, as she is the first to speak up. "We can't do that. We've got no idea if by that action we'll condemn other survivors to death." She sighs and wracks her mind. "The ballroom." She snaps her fingers. "The ballroom stretches across two floors. This one and the one above us. That path shouldn't be blocked." She looks at Meurin to see her response.