From
the Journals of Bartholomew Pettibone, of the House Pettibone
A
Purveyor of Enchanting Sorcery
29
July 2023
A
Romp Among The Waves
Just
in the past few weeks, our good friend Durham was begged by Telman of
Tsipa to lend him the use of the Darkwing, and then further, to join
him on an extended “fishing” trip. Telman has apparently been
somewhat morose and listless of late, and has been yearning to return
to the high seas, to seek new adventures. Durham agreed to this
proposition, and extended that same invitation to those of us who
have adventured together in the past. Besides myself and Gan, our
company was rounded-out with Heijo (of the ink-stained hands), the
mendicant Fa Min (and their companion, Demitrytus), and the fremen
spiritmaster, Lars.
I
have had no prior contact with Telman, but since hearing tales from
Durham and Sesel about the great ahko hunt, was excited to be
introduced to this revered sea captain. I had no doubt that we could
become fast friends and companions. In the great room of the Kantor,
over beverages, and after recounting tales of past deeds, Telman
finally explained that he had heard rumors of din-din (large,
powerful, bony-headed fish) that were menacing local fishers and
pearl-divers along the coast somewhere west of Cothon, yet perhaps
not as far north as Ittiyqa. Telman wished to return to the waves, in
a great ship (such as the renowned Darkwing), with a seasoned crew,
to rid the reefs of those meddlesome beasts. To myself, Heijo, and
Durham, much of his plans seemed lacking and weak; however, we
ultimately agreed to sponsor and accompany this expedition – it
certainly had merit!
Preparations
were made, food stuffs of the highest quality (meats, cheeses,
breads, spices, sweets, etc.), as well as casks of ales, fine wines,
and liquors were taken on as larder. A crew of exceptional quality
were rooted out and signed on. And modifications to the Darkwing were
made: a ballista on the forward deck, and another on the poop.
Durham's contacts at the Hanse noted that garum was often wanted in
Baldeshum, and fine wines were generally well received in Ittiyqa.
Therefore, a cargo was also brought aboard and stored below. We took
on many barrels of the recommended items, stowing them well, with
dreams of making some profit during this extended cruise, or at least
to break even.
We
finally gathered on a bright, yet chilly morning, at the quays beside
the Hanse, dropped our lines, and set out the oars. In time with
Gan's steady drum beat, the oars dipped and pulled, and we departed
Cothon-Gadeed making for Baldeshum, to the north and west. The wind
favored our departure, and it wasn't long before we were clear of the
inner harbor. Our oars were shipped, and a full set of canvas was
dressed upon the spars. And the Darkwing sprung across the waves like
a kyni soars through the air! Foam rolled and shushed along our hull,
and we cut a fine line to the north, and a bit west.
Gan
took immediately to the helm, and we allowed him command of the crew
and our course. We lamented not having Najm or Arngeir along, both
being seasoned sailors. However, as the day was so glorious, a table
was set out on the deck, and over beverages and snacks, we pressed
Telman for more tales of great deeds, and for more in-depth
information concerning din-din. He described them to us in great
detail: being massive fish (often over 30 feet long!), with large
bony heads, a body covered with scales like plate armor, and a
razor-sharp beak. To get a better feel for their size, the Darkwing
is but 65 feet long, stem to stern! He further described them as
being highly territorial and aggressive, and somewhat of a schooling
fish. As such, when we encountered them it may very well be in
quantity, and would likely be “exciting”. Telman exclaimed that
we should not have worries, as he was in possession of an “eye”
that would allow him to gift us with the ability to temporarily
breath water as if it were air. This was not going to be the easy
fishing excursion Telman initially led us to believe it would be!
During
a lull in our conversations, as Telman was fawning over his
lady-friend, Durham took me aside and quietly noted that Telman was
not behaving in his normal manner. Durham was also concerned about
Telman's companion – whose name, I fear has slipped my mind. Durham
was worried that Telman seemed curiously obsessed with this woman,
who clung to him like a barnacle on an old hull. As well, Telman
seemed to be wholly and continuously sauced – almost to the point
of incoherence.
In
the afternoon of our second day out, as the large island that hosts
Baldeshum lifted into view to our north, the Darkwing was assailed by
a large, gelatinous sea creature. It slowed our progress to a crawl,
and began oozing onto the deck. Mayhem ensued, and Durham began
shouting, “Muagh!” Several of our crew leaped to the attack. Lars
and Demitrytus attempted to poke and slash this undulating mass of
goo, with little effect. Their weapons took as much damage as they
gave. Recalling that these creatures are known for their secretions
of acid, I focused my mind, and with a deft flick of my wrist, sent a
resonating ripple through the arcane. The entire muagh suddenly
shook, then quickly shrank in upon itself, morphing and resolving
into a completely different creature. I had managed to shift reality
and alter the muagh's form and essence into a new state of being. It
became, in all ways, a modestly sized, black-feathered, carrion bird,
like those often found attending battlefields after an exceptionally
bloody conflict. A crow. It impotently flew off into the distance,
likely confused as to its sudden alteration!
In
the early morning of the next day, Baldeshum stood just to our east,
close at hand. As the wind had dropped, and we were becalmed, the
sails were rolled up and the oars were once again set out. It took
little time for our crew to row us in to the small port of Baldeshum,
where we dropped anchor. Telman spoke with the harbor master and the
levy master, and secured the removal, import, and sale of all of the
garum we had taken on in Cothon. And for a tidy sum, I might add!
While
in port, I used my arcane skills to place myself into a state of
meditation, wherein I can pierce the veil of others' minds, and learn
of their surface thoughts, intentions, and dreams. While I did this,
Durham engaged Telman and his woman in conversation, asking pointed
questions about how they met, how their relationship developed, what
their future plans were, etc. During their conversation, I focused on
their minds, and attempted to glean if Telman was under some
compulsion, or if his mistress was with him under a less than
honorable pretense. Telman's thoughts seemed stuffy, befuddled, but
genuine – a strange combination. And indeed, his companion's
thoughts revealed that she had stumbled upon a “magic eye”, and
had inadvertently used it to induce an unnatural glamour upon Telman.
I felt no malice in her intentions, and in fact she seemed truly
sorry that their relationship was little more than an accidental
arcane fantasy. Durham and I agreed not to immediately confront
Telman or his companion with this information, as there did not
appear to be any harm intended – at the moment. We simply felt that
at this point in the voyage, it might be best not to upset or
exacerbate an enchantment we did not fully understand.
We
took on and filled out our basic stores and water, and on the
following day stood out from Baldshum. Our intention was to head east
toward Ittiyqa; however, the weather had other plans. The wind was
steady and strong from the north, and biting cold, and we made our
way out under oars. In no time, the wind had clocked around to the
south and west, the direction we wanted to go, and began blowing a
hard gale. Truly, a storm was roaring down upon us, so we set and
reefed our sails, and pointed our bow north, to run with the winds
coming from behind. As the storm continued to increase in intensity,
we let out our anchors to drag behind us, to slow our northerly
progress. North was where the wind was blowing us, but north was NOT
our intended course!
In
the dark, early morning hours of the next day, the wind shifted
again, coming from a more favorable direction, but also strengthened.
Gan and I felt comfortable in maintaining sails. We had the
sea-anchors hauled in, and turned our course south and west to run
toward our next port of call. Even under reduced sail, we were once
again making excellent time for Ittiyqa!
The
storm held its strength for over a day. Gan and I manned the helm and
generally had a bang-up time feeling the Darkwing sing and creak as
she was rushed along southward, toward Ittiyqa! While the ride was
exhilarating, the storm began to take its toll upon our rigging and
hull. Some flooding occurred, but proving to be of little
consequence, was easily kept under control. By the afternoon of the
following day the storm had blown itself out, and we were once again
becalmed. Ittiyqa lay within sight, just to our west. Our sails were
rolled up, the oars were laid out, and by late afternoon, Darkwing
was resting safe at dock in Ittiyqa.
Telman
again made deals to have our cargo sold, and to have repairs made to
Darkwing. The numerous barrels of fine wine were unloaded and sold
for a sizeable chest full of gold dinar, and the crew rejoiced at our
good fortune. Indeed, this was turning out to be a lucrative voyage.
That evening we dined and cavorted at one of the local wharf-side
taverns, and queried the locals about din-din sightings or
encounters. Our questioning paid off, and we were informed that folks
in the fishing village south of Ittiyqa (by name of Isfax) had
first-hand knowledge of these beasts.
The
next day we pulled out from Ittiyqa, set sails (as the wind was from
the north), and briskly made our way to Isfax, where we anchored
overnight. In the morning, as the pearl-divers were heading out in
their small boats, we intercepted one and Durham offered 50 gold
dinar if they would guide us to where din-din were known to be
prowling. His offer was readily accepted, and we took this diver, a
proud and haughty young woman, aboard the Darkwing.
With
fair winds, we made our course toward the east, toward the many reefs
that line the coast. Toward din-din territory! However, prior to
attaining our destination, Darkwing was once again assailed; this
time by unknown sea creatures. Large crustacean-like creatures began
attaching themselves below the waterline, and gnawing into Darkwing's
wooden beams. Flooding began almost immediately, and a flurry of
ordered chaos soon overwhelmed the Darkwing.
I
quickly performed an arcane ritual upon myself, allowing me to breath
water as air (as a safety contingency), and then ran below to find
Telman. As had become his wont, he was drunk, and abed with his
companion. Completely useless. I retrieved his “eye” of water
breathing, and upon returning to the main deck, gave it over to
Durham. Lars and Demitrytus stood before Durham, and after he bathed
them in the eye's rays, they jumped overboard to engage these
“boat-eaters”. While they initiated melee combat, I once again
caused a ripple to resonate through the arcane, and altered one of
the creatures into a crow. However, several more of these beasts
remained. Lars and Demitrytus made short work of one, and Durham
flooded the surrounding waters with a repellent made from eel
distillate, after which the remaining beasts departed, perhaps
sensing their impending doom. Soon thereafter we dropped anchor along
the southern reef, and began making repairs.
On
the following day, our pearl-diver guide informed us that this area
likely held many beds of pearl-producing mollusks (of enormous size
and danger), as well as din-din. The ability to breath water was once
again bestowed on several of us: myself, Heijo, Gan, Durham, Lars,
our guide … and Telman. Yes, Telman was finally rousted – however
briefly – from his amorous and inebriated ways. This was
accomplished by having his companion fall under an arcane compulsion
to sleep, essentially relieving some of the enthrallment she had
placed over the old sea captain. While Fa-min and Demitrytus remained
aboard, keeping watch and manning a ballista, the bulk of our company
dove to the bottom and began to search for the pearl-producing
mollusks. In no time we were approached by a gigantic gellikite,
threatening to crush and rend us with strong pincers and mandibles.
As it approached, but still at a great distance, I lashed out with
striker, and managed to obliterate the crab, but at fair cost to
myself, as well.
To
our surprise, the utter destruction of the gellikite drew in a small
school of very large, and hungry, din-din! They were upon us quickly,
snapping first at our guide, taking her life in an instant. Lars
steadied himself upon the seabed and was able to drive a javelin deep
through the eye of an approaching din-din, while Gan carved an
enormous gash along the side of another, as it flashed by. Even
underwater, the speed of his attacks were uncanny and unnatural. I
attempted to manipulate the arcane once again, but my focus was
disturbed, and my effort bore no fruit. However, the din-din
responded as most animals will once harmed sufficiently, and as a
single entity, their school turned tail, quickly departing our
immediate area. The encounter was over, almost as soon as it had
begun.
Sadly,
we were not able to capture or kill any of the din-din. We gathered
up the shredded corpse of our guide, and returned to the Darkwing. We
completed some minor repairs, raised anchor, put on all sails, and
made our way east, toward Cothon-Gadeed, toward home. As we sailed
under favorable conditions, our guide's remains were carefully
cleaned and laid upon the captain's berth, and I performed a ritual
that knitted her wounds and returned life back to her mangled body.
Although she would remain weak, and require several days of bed rest
and recuperation, she was back among the living.
The
weather continued to favor us, and before noon of the next day, we
found ourselves returned to the inner harbor of Cothon-Gadeed, tied
up safely to the docks of the Hanse. Our adventure had most certainly
been exciting, profitable, and interesting. However, now the work of
untangling Telman from his enchantment lay before us … or more
rightly … Durham.
[written by Phil, player of Bart, regarding a certain recent expedition aboard ship and earning Bart 100 xp per level]
